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Live Soccer 2mos ago
Euro 2024: Dutch defender Micky van de Ven issues Bukayo Saka a warning ahead of Netherlands vs. England semifinal
Source:Live Soccer

The Tottenham center-back could come face to face with the Arsenal star. However, the Dutchman is not concerned about the Three Lions star.

Dutch defender Micky van de Ven has issued an eye-catching warning to Bukayo Saka ahead of the Netherlands' Euro 2024 semifinal showdown with England on Wednesday.

The Arsenal star stole the show in the quarterfinal win over Switzerland, with the 22-year-old winger scoring a stunning goal to equalize in the 80th minute before netting his spot kick during the penalty shootout.

Additionally, Bukayo tormented Switzerland's defense all game, completing the most dribbles on Sunday. As a result, Ronald Koeman will have to devise a plan to stop the England winger.

However, Van de Ven, who came on as a sub during Oranje's 2-1 quarterfinal victory over Turkiye, is not too worried about Saka. Speaking to the press, the Tottenham defender argued that the Dutch have Virgil van Dijk and Nathan Ake, predicting that Bukayo will struggle against those two.

"Saka is a wonderful footballer with lots of pace but [Virgil] van Dijk and [Nathan] Ake have a lot of pace too and I am sure they can handle him," the 23-year-old center-back said, as per the Daily Mail.

Van de Ven also had an interesting response when asked who is the faster player between him and Saka. The Dutchman laughed before reminding everyone that he was clocked as the fastest player in Premier League history.

"Difficult to say, but when you look at the data, you got your answer," the former Wolfsburg defender stated.

Whichever team emerges victorious will qualify for the Euro 2024 final at the Olympiastadion on June 14. While England are yet to impress, the Three Lions have shown resilience all tournament, with Bellingham, Saka, and Kane all delivering moments of magic to help their nation to victory.

On the other hand, the Netherlands finished third in their group behind Austria and France but have been improving ever since. Koeman's side beat Romania 3-0 in the round of 16 before securing a 2-1 comeback victory over Turkiye in the quarterfinals. Unlike England, Gakpo and Co. have won every knockout stage fixture in normal time.