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Former top flight star Alvin Martin has lauded Tottenham Hotspur playmaker Xavi Simons, who he believes has returned to a really high level and played with confidence against Atletico Madrid.
A summer signing from RB Leipzig, Simons has found himself lost in the crowd inside the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Along with Tottenham, Simons also runs the risk of becoming a Championship player at the end of the season, a prospect that has been dreaded by Dutch journalist Marcel van der Kraan.
Simons, though impressed along with his other team-mates on Wednesday night in the Champions League last 16 match against Atletico Madrid.
In the 3-2 second-leg win, Simons scored a brace, giving Martin reasons to praise him and deem him the man of the match.
While making a special mention of young midfielder Archie Gray, who Martin feels was fantastic throughout the 81 minutes he was on the pitch for, the former defender said on talkSPORT (18th March, 21:58): “There were two or three Spurs players that came to mind [for the man of the match].
“One of them didn’t finish the game, Gray, who I thought he was fantastic throughout. But I would give it to Simons.
Club played for Paris Saint-Germain PSV Eindhoven RB Leipzig Tottenham Hotspur Clubs Xavi Simons has played for
“He was the one who got himself a couple of goals, was always at the centre of what was good going forward.”
Martin believes that Simons has managed to return to a really high level for Tottenham and him playing with responsibility proved that.
“He really looked like his confidence has returned to a really high level.
“Tonight, you could see he led with the ball and took a lot of responsibility.”
Simons has earned the trust of his team-mates, one of whom is Gray himself.
The Leeds United academy graduate revealed that the Dutch international is a joy to play with and horrible to play against.
It now remains to be seen whether Simons can take his form into the Premier League and help Tottenham start to move away from the relegation zone.
They have an all-important match coming up against fellow relegation battlers Nottingham Forest on Sunday.
Forest are in Europa League action this evening and all eyes will be on how much Vitor Pereira rotates.