van de Ven:
“Slot wanted to sign me for AZ Alkmaar when he saw me play in the first season at Volendam,” Van de Ven told media including the Mirror.
“The club refused to sell me and I had to accept that they would not let me go. When he was at Feyenoord he tried to sign me, too, but by then I had already signed for Wolfsburg in Germany.”
“Do I think I would be playing for Liverpool now if I would have joined Slot at Feyenoord?
“That would have been some kind of fate. Slot is doing really well. Liverpool is now a fantastic team and he is showing again what a brilliant coach he is. Every player who has worked under Slot will tell you great things about him.
“In the few talks I had with him at the time, I got a great feeling about his managerial style, his coaching and his ideas in football. He really, really sees the game well.”
“I really would not mind playing next to Virgil in defence.
“He is such a fabulous defender and doing great at Liverpool. I learn a lot from him. When we’ve played against Liverpool with Tottenham, Virgil still gives me tips after the game!
“He says things like, ‘Maybe you could have done this or that’ in certain situations. It shows he wants to help me improve my game.”