Micky van de Ven reveals 'trophyless' warning when he joined Tottenham as he seeks to silence trolls | OneFootball

Spurs can silence critics on Wednesday night by beating Manchester United and lifting Europa League

Spurs are aiming to claim a first piece of silverware since 2008 and first European trophy in 41 years when they face Manchester United in Wednesday's Europa League Final in Bilbao.

"We all know we play for a big club," Van de Ven said. "This club deserves trophies. That’s the truth. If you look at the quality in the squad, we deserve a trophy.

"It has been a tough season but we can end this perfectly by winning a prize.

“I think it will be a big thing of course because everybody knows that when you join Tottenham, you get the words through of, ‘Ah, you’re not going to win a trophy’, that you will be trophyless the rest of your career.

"All the guys that came up here were like, ‘We’re going to change something about this club’. It was the gaffer and it was the whole squad who said, ‘We’re going to come here and change something’. For us, it’s the job now to make this happen in Bilbao."

Tottenham are a win away from a first European trophy in 41 years

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Asked if he had really been told he would be "trophyless", Van de Ven said: "Yeah, but it’s these people on social media, you know? These banter people that you don’t take really serious.

"No [it didn’t play on my mind], not even a little bit."

Coaches at Van de Ven's first professional club, Volendam, doubted he would make it as a professional when he was as old as 18, and he initially struggled to make the step up from the Under-19s to U-21s amid concerns he was too small.

"That’s crazy to be honest," he said. "At Volendam there were people who didn’t have the trust in me and now I am standing here. I think I proved them wrong.

"I still use [the doubts]. But to be honest it was my dad, my mum and my sister who were the ones who kept pushing me.

“Because even when you’re younger, every year you get a new gaffer. It’s strange, of course.

“Then the people around you are the ones you are close with. I was in that situation with my dad, my mum and my sister who kept me pushing until the point I am at now.

“Even now, these days after a game they help me. They’re like you could do this better or that better, they are still the people who help me. They will be in Bilbao.”

"I think there are a lot of players in their careers who get doubts from multiple people," Van de Ven continued. "It depends a bit on how late in your career you are getting doubts, of course. I was getting doubts when I was 17, 18 years old.

"Then you might have to think about something different. Then it’s all to yourself and the people around you to keep pushing."

Van de Ven is set to partner Cristian Romero at centre-half against United and the pair's partnership is likely to be crucial to Spurs' hopes of raising their game in Europe again.

Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero are crucial to Tottenham’s final hopes

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Romero's career path has also been rocky and the Argentine considered quitting professional football as a 17-year-old after being frozen out at boyhood club Belgrano.

"Cuti [kept believing] and that’s what I did, and now we are both standing here," said Van de Ven. "And Cuti won a World Cup. I am now standing now in a European final. It’s a beautiful thing.”

"You can see that Cuti of course is an unbelievable player," the Dutch international added. "We just feel each other in the game.

"If he does something, I know how I need to cover him, how I can help him. On the other side it’s the same — when I have the ball, he knows how to cover me. He knows how to help in every situation.

"That is just the feeling we have grown into each other. From the beginning I also felt a strong connection with him, but the more games you play together the more you start feeling each other and know each other’s qualities, and where you can help each other. It’s an unbelievable connection that I have with him now."

Winning the competition would be an enormous vindication for Postecoglou, who is facing an uncertain future beyond the end of the season, whatever the outcome in Bilbao.

Postecoglou has overseen an historically poor League season, with Spurs way down in 17th after losing 21 of their 37 matches so far, but back in September the Australian pointed out that he "always wins something" in his second year in a job — a record he is one game from continuing.

"We have all been standing behind the gaffer since Day One, since he joined here," said Van de Ven. "He showed his quality, he brought us to a European final.

"Of course, he’s getting a lot of doubt from the media and we see these things. But I think he proved all you guys wrong and we’re standing in a European final, so hopefully we can lift the trophy.

"Not only for us, but also for him."