Wolfsburg defender Micky van de Ven has been linked with a move to Liverpool this summer, but what do the stats say about how he would fit in?
MICKY van de Ven is a Wolfsburg centre-back who is believed to be a favourite of new Liverpool sporting director Jorg Schmadtke.
A pacy player who currently plays for Schmadtke’s former employers Wolfsburg, manager Jürgen Klopp is also reportedly a huge fan.
Van de Ven started his career in his native Netherlands with FC Volendam before joining Die Wolfe.
Micky Van De Ven To Liverpool? – The Dutch Perspective: TAW Special
The 22-year-old has never been selected for the Dutch senior national team, but was included in their 2022 World Cup provisional squad.
A large part of van de Ven’s skillset consists of his abilities on the ball, ranking in the top 12 per cent of all centre-backs in the top five leagues for pass completion percentage.
He also ranks in the top 10 per cent of his peers for progressive carries, showing his adeptness at dribbling the ball up the pitch.
The Dutchman’s potential big weakness is his ability to head the ball, he is in the bottom four per cent of his peers for aerials won, and in the top 17 per cent for aerials lost.
Van de Ven’s defensive stats sit somewhere between the standard of his abilities on the ball and his standards in the air; he’s currently in the top 42 per cent of his peers for blocks and in the top 58 per cent for tackles.
He’s also yet to add a scoring touch to his game, only finding the net in the Bundesliga once last season, in a 2-0 win over Borussia Dortmund.
Van de Ven passes the eye test, though, making a great recovery to clear a Union Berlin shot off the defensive line in dramatic fashion earlier this season.
He is also reportedly a Liverpool fan, as a picture of the defender in a Liverpool scarf has been circulating widely on social media.
So we’re clearly all Reds here, isn’t that right Micky?
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https://twitter.com/TheAnfieldWrap/status/1664633017699115020
Apparently Schmadtke “discovered” him and made the deal to get him to Wolfsburg in the first place.