Paul Merson isn’t Tottenham Hotspur’s biggest fan.

As an Arsenal legend, it’s fair to say that Merson has his own biases against Spurs, and he’s not been afraid of showing that over the years during his time as a pundit on Sky Sports.

That being said, ahead of this weekend’s north London derby, Merson has reserved some special praise for one Tottenham player.

Paul Merson hails Tottenham star

The pundit spoke highly of Micky Van de Ven.

“My thoughts on Spurs this season? I have to say I think they’ve been outstanding. Loved watching them, great the way they play, a bit gung-ho, but for the neutral, great football. Plenty of good players. Micky Van de Ven is outstanding, he’s one of the top centre-halves in the country, without a doubt, I’d go as far as to say in the world he’s one of the top ones, a brilliant player,” Merson said.

Micky Van de Ven is incredible

You have to be a top player for Tottenham to draw praise from Paul Merson, and that’s precisely what Van de Ven is.

Merson isn’t exaggerating when he says the Dutchman is one of the best defenders in the world.

He has this unique combination of size, skill, strength and, most importantly, speed, and he’s almost impossible to get past.

Yes, the £35m man had a bit of a nightmare against Newcastle United last time around, but he’s still a top player who can shut down any attacker on his day.

Van de Ven will be tested in this weekend’s north London derby, but much like his counterparts in the Arsenal team, he’ll be more than ready for the challenge ahead of him as Tottenham chase a place in the top four and try to halt Arsenal’s title challenge.