Micky van de Ven has outlined the Netherlands’ plan to silence England’s Bukayo Saka ahead of their Euro 2024 semi-final on Wednesday.
Tottenham Hotspur’s Van de Ven and Arsenal’s Saka have traditionally been rivals in the Premier League, but now the north London duo will face each other internationally as the Netherlands face England in Dortmund in a bid to secure a place in the final of the competition.
And Van de Ven has already warned his side to be wary of starlet Saka, who has been impressing in Germany this summer and could prove to be a problem player for Ronald Koeman’s side.
Speaking ahead of the much-anticipated match, the defender said: “Saka is an excellent footballer with speed though. [Virgil] van Dijk and [Nathan] Ake is also very fast and I’m sure they can handle him.
“I know Saka well as he plays Arsenal. I faced him twice. We will see if the manager will start me.”
Van de Ven has featured in four of his country’s five games at Euro 2024, coming off the bench to make a splash at the back, but has yet to start.
When asked if he thought he could compete with Saka’s pace, Van de Ven suggested he was the fastest player, before Cody Gakpo called his team-mate ‘the fastest player in the Premier League’.
Liverpool’s Gakpo added: “This has been a great tournament with our team. The feeling is really strong. We are in the semi-final and this is not the end of the tournament. Every team out there wants to get to the tournament. It’s the last time and we’re no different.
“It is not for nothing that England are in the semi-finals. They have a good group of players and they are a very good team. So I hope it will be a good game.”
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