Aston Villa defender Ian Maatsen is being urged to take the Netherlands' left-back spot from Tottenham's Micky van de Ven. Dutch journalist Valentijn Driessen made the public call for change after Van de Ven started three consecutive internationals for his country.

Maatsen, 24, joined Villa in the summer of 2024 and has started four Premier League games this season. He has been a fixture in recent squads for the Dutch national team, earning one cap in a Nations League match against Spain last year. The departure of Lucas Digne this summer left Maatsen competing with Matteo Ruggeri for the starting role at Villa Park.

Dutch criticism intensifies

Former Netherlands international Valentijn Driessen has been vocal in his criticism of Van de Ven's recent performances. Speaking on De Telegraaf's Kick Off Podcast, Driessen argued for a change. "It is now three games in a row that he has not played well," he said of Van de Ven, who played 90 minutes against Germany, Serbia and Greece in the recent international window. Driessen called on national team boss Xavi to "put a proper left-back there for a change".

He highlighted Maatsen's performance in that 2025 Nations League game against Spain as proof of his quality, describing the Villa man as "simply an excellent player". Driessen concluded, "I would rather have a player like that than Van de Ven." The journalist suggested that fielding a player primarily to recover from defensive errors misses the point of having a comfortable, ball-playing defender in the role.

Maatsen's credentials highlighted

Maatsen's move to Aston Villa was personally championed by manager Unai Emery, who convinced the defender to join the project at Villa Park. His form has kept him in contention for his national team, with calls for his promotion growing louder. Villa's own defensive situation remains a focus as the club prepares for its next Premier League fixture. Unai Emery's side currently sit 16th in the standings with four points from five games, but head into the international break on a three-game winning streak across all competitions. Their most recent result was a 3-1 away victory at Sevilla.

The club now looks ahead to a home match against high-flying Brentford, who are fourth, on October 10. The resolution of the left-back debate for the Netherlands will be closely watched by Villa supporters as the November international break approaches.

This story first appeared at Inside Futbol