Danny Murphy has drooled over the quality of Tottenham playmaker Christian Eriksen and feels he has grown a lot under the tutelage of manager Mauricio Pochettino.
The 26-year-old has become a mainstay in the Spurs side and helped them record a 2-1 away win against Stoke on Saturday afternoon.
He netted twice in the Premier League clash to earn another three points and it means the North London club strengthened their position inside the top four.
Eriksen has hit a purple patch of form recently and now has 14 goals plus 10 assists across all competitions this term.
The attacking midfielder quickly became a firm favourite following his arrival in 2013 and is now ripping up the Premier League.
BBC pundit and ex-Spurs midfielder Murphy has waxed lyrical about the Denmark international and feels he proved the difference in the weekend win over Stoke.
“I think in recent weeks with Harry Kane being injured Eriksen has stood up and been counted,” Murphy told BBC One programme Match of the Day.
“He did it again today [against Stoke], he has got this lovely tendency to drift into positions where he finds space, whether he starts on the right or comes central.
“He has added more goals and assists this season than he has in previous ones. Just when Spurs needed someone to step up he did today. His awareness is fantastic and I think he has grown under Pochettino.”
OPINION
Eriksen appears to have taken his game to yet another level this term and has been one of the standout players in the division. He is absolutely integral to Pochettino’s side and quite often the attacking play centres around him. The Dane is now beginning to earn the plaudits for his consistent performances and his recent goal glut has certainly helped. Spurs now look dead certain to finish inside the Champions League places and can throw all their focus onto the FA Cup semi-final with Manchester United. A piece of silverware is still the one thing hanging over Pochettino and he will be desperate to end that run this season.