The Holland defender shone in his first season in England.
“If I’m honest, he’s shocked me!” King told the club's website. “There are not many times you get a young, left-footed, centre-half who is rapid, and you don’t know too much about him.
"I didn’t know too much about him... so, for him to be here and to be of the quality he is, it’s really impressive. He’s impressed everyone, he’s been fantastic... scoring goals as well as well as defending! I love everything about him.
“First and foremost, he’s very comfortable on the ball, left footers always look nice, regardless of what position they play in, and he has a nice left foot. It’s his speed though, his recovery speed as well as when he’s bringing the ball out.
“That’s such a big thing, especially when we want to play such an attacking style of football, to have his speed at the back makes everyone feel so secure.
“We’ve seen Cuti trying to bomb on, that’s what he loves to do, it’s part of his game, playing forward and joining in, or just making a run, that’s his style of play. So, to have someone like van de Ven at the back gives you that security.
“I don’t expect to see anyone outrun him any time soon! I can’t see anyone beating him at the moment. His pace... I think he could run in the 100-metre final, and he wouldn’t finish last! That’s how fast he is. It’s actually quite funny to watch people try to outrun him. He gets quicker, quicker and quicker!”