The Ryan Mason statistic that underlines his importance to Tottenham

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The 23-year-old has waited patiently for his Spurs career to kick off but hasn’t looked back since he got his chance.

Ryan Mason was forced to bide his time when it came to his Tottenham Hotspur breakthrough.

The midfielder was sent out on loan to numerous clubs but admits he ‘always knew he’d regret’ leaving the north London side.

And so the 23-year-old persisted – with due reward.

This season, Mason has become a regular under Mauricio Pochettino, something he believes would have been the case years ago had the Argentine coach taken over earlier.

Statistics, meanwhile, prove how important the Tottenham midfielder has already become.

Indeed, as Opta stats show, no Spurs player has won more tackles than Mason so far this term.

If there is anything that embodies Mason’s game, it is his tackling – and he averages more challenges won per game than any Tottenham player.

The 23-year-old has only won 81 per cent of his attempted tackles, though, illustrating just how willing he is to try and win the ball back every time (his total attempted is even higher than everyone else’s).

Mason needs to show much more than just challenging for the ball, of course, as some Spurs fans expressed disappointment with his performance against Swansea City last weekend. But Mason’s importance in midfield so far this term has been clear for all to see.