Only nine players have outdone Tottenham’s Bentaleb this season

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Tottenham Hotspur prospect Nabil Bentaleb impressed at the weekend, and elevated himself into a unique group.

While the fallout from Jason Puncheon’s awful penalty miss dominated headlines at the weekend, it could almost be forgotten that Tottenham actually beat Crystal Palace.

Key to that happening was youngster Nabil Bentaleb, making just his first league start for the club.

Bentaleb made a huge 120 touches in a single game – more than any other Premier League player the whole weekend.

Bentaleb’s willingness to get his foot on the ball was refreshing, playing a key part in Tottenham winning the midfield battle.

Not only was the number of touches he made impressive, but it put him in the top 10 players for number in a single match this season.

The table below shows his display to be the 12th best, with Jonathan de Guzman and Michael Carrick featuring above him twice – only nine players have outdone him this season.

One game against Crystal Palace does not make a superstar, yet his performances in the under-21s showed enough to indicate there is real talent there.

For all the millions Spurs have spent in the past year, with the proceeds from selling Gareth Bale, it could be that 19-year-old Bentaleb proves to be the finding of the season.

image: © alanstanton