‘A real warrior’ – Micky van de Ven praises Tottenham-bound teammate after World Cup battle | OneFootball

Micky van de Ven hailed Jan Paul van Hecke’s mentality after he played through a painful eye injury during Netherlands’ World Cup opener, calling his future Tottenham Hotspur teammate a “real warrior.”

Van Hecke suffered a heavy blow to the face during the Netherlands’ 2-2 draw with Japan on June 14 at Dallas Stadium, leaving him with significant swelling around his right eye and reduced vision after the match.

Despite the issue worsening during the game, the 26-year-old centre-back completed the full 90 minutes but had a noticeable black eye when he spoke in the mix zone following the match.

“I think he got a kick at the beginning of the game, when he had the ball, the guy kicked his face,” van de Ven said, speaking after the match about van Hecke.

“So he’s got a really blue eye for the next game, but he’s a real warrior.”

Following Sunday’s match, van Hecke admitted he was struggling to see properly out of his right eye after suffering the blow, with more tests expected to assess his fitness ahead of Netherlands’ next match against Sweden on Saturday.

Van Hecke is now set to join Tottenham from Brighton in a deal worth £52 million, according to The Athletic.

It is understood that Brighton had previously rejected offers believed to be in the £40m–50m range before agreeing a club-record defensive fee.

After Tottenham battled hard to avoid Premier League relegation last season, the move would see Van Hecke join his Dutch teammate van de Ven in north London, as part of the Lilywhites’ defensive rebuild.