Bryan Gil made his debut for Valencia on Wednesday night after completing a deadline-day loan move from Tottenham – and helped his new side progress into the next round of the Copa Del Rey with a superb display.
Gil, 20, joined Tottenham last summer in a deal that saw Spurs pay Sevilla a fee of £21.6million – as well as Erik Lamela. However, he has failed to really make an impact at Spurs. A change of manager has hardly helped.
Indeed, in 20 league and cup appearances for Spurs, he has failed to score and only managed to lay on one assist. It saw Antonio Conte allow him to go on loan, and he has moved to Valencia until the end of the season.
The move does not include a permanent clause, meaning Tottenham still see a future for Gil. It is purely for the youngster to get some game time and he was immediately thrown into the starting line-up on Wednesday night.
Valencia earned a 2-1 win over La Liga rivals Cadiz to qualify for the Copa Del Rey semi-finals and Gil lasted the entire match. His stats show just how crucial he was – but not in an attacking sense, but more of a defensive one.
Gil stats: Tottenham star shows different side, will impress Conte
FotMob report that Gil did produce five successful dribbles from five, but it was also his nine duels won that will have impressed his Tottenham manager. Conte loves his side to work hard, and to play with wing-backs.
Although Gil’s performance came from the left wing in a 4-2-3-1, his work rate and defensive stats – which also included one tackle, one interception and five recoveries – will have impressed Conte.
It might even suggest to the Italian gaffer that he could be used more as a wing-back, rather than part of Tottenham’s front three in a 3-4-3 system. A good start for Gil, which Conte will surely have been impressed by.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
