Tottenham Hotspur loanee Bryan Gil has been compared to Valencia legend Aimar by the Spanish club’s social media team after pulling off a slick nutmeg during his debut.
Gil joined Spurs from Sevilla in the summer for £21.6m with Erik Lamela also heading the other way as part of the deal.
He’s a player with a lot of potential, who’s already appeared for Spain at senior level despite not yet turning 21.
However, he’s perhaps not quite ready to make a big impact for a side challenging for a top four spot in the English top flight and after making just nine substitute appearances in the Premier League over the first half of the season, he was shipped out on loan on deadline day.
The winger went straight into Valencia’s starting XI for a Copa Del Rey quarter-final clash against fellow La Liga side Cadiz, and his numbers were very encouraging.
Tottenham loanee Gil praised by Valencia after Aimar-esque nutmeg
Gil also pulled off a piece of magic that doesn’t show up in stat categories.
The Tottenham loanee left a Cadiz defender red-faced by drawing him in close on the left touchline before nutmegging him.
Valencia tweeted about their new arrival’s piece of skill on Thursday afternoon, comparing it to a nutmeg that ex-player Pablo Aimar pulled off against Real Betis during his time at Mestalla.
Aimar played over 200 games for the Spanish giants, earning hero status by helping them to two league titles, and was capped 52 times at international level by Argentina, so he’s not a bad player to be compared with after just one game in the no.21 shirt.
Spurs fans will be hoping that Gil continues to shine over the coming months, before returning to London and showing the Premier League what he can do next season.
He is likely to feature again for his adopted side on Sunday when Real Sociedad travel to Mestalla in La Liga.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
