Micky van de Ven has finally returned to fitness for Tottenham Hotspur ahead of their crucial end to the season.
Ange Postecoglou knows that Tottenham need to win the Europa League if he’s going to continue to lead the side into next season, a project that could come to an abrupt end.
Spurs could sack Postecoglou if he doesn’t qualify for the Champions League next season via winning the Europa League – it’s unsustainable for the club to accept not playing in Europe at all next term.
Of course, Tottenham won’t be qualifying for Europe via the Premier League at least given they are currently languishing in the bottom half of the table, a worrying reality for Postecoglou.
That being said, Van de Ven’s injury absence has been a big contributing factor to Spurs’ poor form, a centre-back who will now aim to make a difference before the end of the season.
Micky van de Ven says why Archie Gray has impressed him at Spurs
But in terms of players who have already been trying to turn the ship for Spurs – Archie Gray has played a serious amount of minutes for Postecoglou in several positions.
And when speaking on the ‘One on One’ podcast, Van de Ven was keen to praise Gray for his ‘unbelievable’ efforts, a player who he thought was proving himself to the whole of the Premier League.
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Van de Ven said: “I spoke with Archie even after the games, before games.
“Of course I speak with him but it’s not even his natural position and if you see how he’s doing this season as a centre-back, I think we can only be really proud of him and what he’s shown.
“He’s shown everybody in the Premier League what his quality is.”
He continued: “Even sometimes he’s played left-back, right centre-back – he’s played everywhere.
“So every position where he’s played he did unbelievable so when you’re this young that’s really crazy that you can do this every time and just show your quality in every position the gaffer puts you in.”
What is Archie Gray’s best position?
Arriving from Leeds United in the summer, Gray spent most of the previous season playing as right-back in the Championship.
And as mentioned, he’s played pretty much all over the place for Tottenham, his skill-set has been well and truly tested to every degree.
| Position | Games |
| Centre-back | 19 |
| Right-back | 7 |
| Left-back | 5 |
| Defensive midfield | 3 |
But first and foremost, it does still seem as if Gray’s long-term future will be as a number six for Spurs.
Djed Spence admitted that Gray had shocked him this season when talking about his talented teammate recently, a player who is clearly appreciated by his teammates.
And when/if Postecoglou has a fully fit team, it will be interesting to see where the England U21 international gets the bulk of his chances moving forward.
