Tottenham star Micky van de Ven caught watching his ‘assist of the season’ by his own teammates on flight home

Micky van de Ven certainly appreciated his superb assist against Manchester United.

The speedy defender showed off his blistering pace when he almost ran the length of the pitch to set up Brennan Johnson’s opener as Tottenham cruised to a 3-0 victory over the Red Devils at Old Trafford.

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It was arguably the assist of the season, the Dutchman leaving everything in his wake after intercepting a loose ball in his own half before charging towards the touchline only to throw Johnson in for a tap-in.

Any player would be proud to produce such a moment of brilliance, and Van de Ven is clearly no different.

After the resounding away win, his Spurs team-mate James Maddison appeared to catch the centre-back rewatching his big moment on the flight home from Manchester.

In a video uploaded to the midfielder’s Instagram story, van de Ven can be seen enjoying a post-match snack, his eyes fixed on his phone.

Maddison then shouts at his teammate: “Micky! Stop looking at your assist,” to which the speedy 23-year-old looks up and laughs, appearing to confirm the Englishman’s suspicions.

Alongside the footage, Maddison wrote on her social media post: “I caught him!!!! I just keep watching his assist.”

The humorous clip certainly amused fans, with others commenting on the entertainment choice of Timo Werner sitting next to Ven’s van.

On the attacker appearing to play the video game Clash Royale, one commented: “Of course Timo plays Clash Royale.” followed by a laughing emoji.

And Maddison’s playful banter with his teammate didn’t stop there, as he later left a cheeky comment on the defender’s Instagram after their win at Old Trafford.

Underneath the Dutch international’s post celebrating the result, he sarcastically wrote: “Slow b******.”

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There has been plenty of praise for the centre-back following his astonishing run.

Former Chelsea and Aston Villa player Andy Townsend said: “I don’t think there’s a central defender anywhere in the world who can do that. He’s so powerful and so quick.”

Gary Neville told Sky Sports: “It’s absolutely brilliant from Van de Ven. He goes through four Manchester United players. It’s incredible. Brilliant.”

Fans have already called it the “assist of the season.”

One wrote on X: “VdV season assistant. Nothing beats this. So good.”

Another added: “He must surely be in contention for the assist of the season.”

Van de Ven is currently the fastest player ever in the Premier League after reaching a top speed of 37.38 km/h against Brentford last season.

The staggering figure is an all-time high since data began being collected in 2020/21, and puts him ahead of Manchester City’s Kyle Walker (37.31 km/h) and teammate Brennan Johnson (36.7 km/h ).

Maddison will certainly be delighted to have him on full display at Old Trafford, as van de Ven’s assist set Spurs on the path to a memorable victory.

After his starring role in their first game, second-half goals from Dejan Kulusevski and Dominic Solanke then sealed all three points after United captain Bruno Fernandes was sent off just before half-time.

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And van de Ven’s exploits in the opening minutes were a major talking point after the match, with goalscorer Johnson hailing his involvement.

Of his teammate, Johnson said: “He blows my mind to be honest. He’s a 6ft 4in central defender who can run as fast as anyone with the ball, which is a special talent in itself.

“A lot of people who aren’t in that position often might find themselves in a bind, but he knew exactly what he was doing.”

The striker added: “It was just my job to be in the right position, but in terms of the goal it was all down to him today.”

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Meanwhile, van de Ven admitted the decision to make full use of his pace came seconds after winning the ball.

Describing this magical moment, he remembers: “I intercepted the ball and saw the gap. Then I decided “I’m going.”

“When I got into the box I knew Brennan would be at the far post, so I hit it hard between the goalkeeper and defender.”

After hitting the post after delivering a perfect cross for Johnson, van de Ven added: “I didn’t even see the goal because I was falling down some stairs!”