JUST NOW: The Spurs manager described the 22-year-old Tottenham star as “an exciting player to watch,” saying it left him speechless.

Robbie Mustoe says his jaw dropped watching one Tottenham Hotspur player’s performance against Everton on Saturday.

Spurs will feel that they missed a brilliant opportunity to secure a big win in the Premier League title race at Goodison Park. Ange Postecoglou’s side went into stoppage-time 2-1 ahead against the Toffees, only to concede from a late set-piece.

It was an agonising result, particularly for Richarlison who had scored two brilliant goals against his former club. But another player who was perhaps unlucky to find himself on the losing side was Micky van de Ven.

Robbie Mustoe stunned by Micky van de Ven after Tottenham draw

The Dutchman was a big miss for Spurs while he was out injured before the turn of the year. Van de Ven has been one of the best defenders in the Premier League this season.

Stephen Kelly described van de Ven’s performance as frightening at the weekend. And speaking on The 2 Robbies podcast, Robbie Mustoe suggested that he is just stunned by the pace the youngster has.

“I think it was Jon Champion who called him the Flying Dutchman. His speed, my jaw opened when I watch him make recovery runs. He has the ability to play offside and if the play goes on, he can sprint back anyway. So I love watching him,” he said.

Spurs so impressive defensively from open play

As Mustoe suggests, the speed van de Ven has is such a bonus for Tottenham. He seems to have the ability to rival anyone in a race. And with Guglielmo Vicario so good at sweeping up behind, Spurs generally have the ability to play an incredibly high line and feel comfortable that they are not going to be caught out more often than not.

There are issues for Tottenham to address. They have now looked vulnerable from set-pieces for a little while. And teams will feel confident that they can take advantage of those moments against Tottenham.

But from open play, it looks incredibly difficult to get the better of van de Ven and Cristian Romero.