Micky van de Ven Breaks Silence on Alexander Isak Challenge

Jamie Carragher offered a surprising interpretation of Van de Ven’s leg-breaking tackle.

Alexander Isak (left) and Micky van de Ven tangled on Saturday. / Shaun Brooks-CameraSport/Getty Images

Tottenham Hotspur centre back Micky van de Ven has revealed that he promptly reached out to check on Liverpool’s Alexander Isak after inadvertently breaking his leg.

The Dutch defender collided with Isak a fraction of a second too late to block his shot, which squirted past Guglielmo Vicario to give Liverpool the lead in north London last weekend. Rather than wheel away to celebrate his second Premier League goal in a red shirt, Isak remained on the turf, writhing in agony while clutching his left leg.

As Liverpool would subsequently reveal, Van de Ven had fractured the striker’s fibula while also damaging his ankle. Isak is expected to be sidelined for at least two months.

dark. FREE NEWSLETTER. New SI FC Newsletter Global Embed. Sign Up to Get Informed With SI FC

Van de Ven was keen to offer his sympathies to his fellow professional both privately and publicly. “I’ve texted him,” the 24-year-old told Sky Sports at Tottenham’s Christmas party for junior supporters this week.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah, of course. I sent him a text because I didn’t want to injure him, I didn’t want to do something to hurt him, of course. I just wanted to try to block the shot and I think it was a bit unlucky how his foot landed between my legs. So, yeah, I sent him a text afterwards and I wanted to wish him all the best, of course, for his recovery, that’s what I said to him, and I hope to see him on the pitch very soon again.“

Van de Ven was quizzed on whether Isak had responded. “Yeah, yeah, he really appreciated the message,” the Netherlands international revealed. “He texted back, yeah.”

---

Van de Ven Defended by Jamie Carragher

This tackle from Micky van de Ven (left) caused the problem. / Marc Atkins/Getty Images

Liverpool manager Arne Slot emphatically did not appreciate Van de Ven’s intervention. The Dutch coach lambasted his compatriot’s challenge as “reckless.” “The tackle of Van de Ven if you make it 10 times, I think 10 times there is a serious chance a player gets a serious injury,” he fumed.

Spurs boss Thomas Frank unsurprisingly took a different view, forcefully defending his player.

Intriguingly, Van de Ven also received support from retired Liverpool stalwart Jamie Carragher. “There’s a lot been made about a lot of the challenges in the game from Tottenham players and a lot of them weren’t clever. I’ve put myself in Van de Ven's position and that’s a challenge I’d probably make,” Carragher told Sky Sports.

“He’s trying to block it, it’s just the follow-through. I don’t know where else anyone thinks his foot’s going to go. He has to make that challenge. You can’t let the striker just get a shot away there in that situation.

“It’s just really bad luck for Isak. It’s probably one of the first glimpses we’ve seen of his real quality in a Liverpool shirt.”

---

READ THE LATEST PREMIER LEAGUE NEWS, TRANSFER RUMOURS AND GOSSIP

feed