England full-back Kyle Walker believes his ​Tottenham teammate Erik Lamela is proving his doubters wrong with his recent run of form for both club and country.





Lamela, 24, came to Tottenham in 2013 for £30m under Andre Villas-Boas, but had a disappointing first campaign making just 17 appearances in all competitions, with many claiming he was to lightweight to be in the Premier League. However, Lamela cemented a first team spot the following year under new boss Mauricio Pochettino and went on to help Spurs finish in third place in the Premier League last season, scoring eleven times in 44 appearances in all competitions.

Lamela's teammate Kyle Walker has praised the Argentine's comeback after a difficult start to his career in England. Speaking to ​Tottenham's official website the full-back said " I hope he wouldn’t mind me saying it but Erik probably had a few difficult months when he first came in here but I think he’s proved the doubters wrong. ”





“We’ve said it in interviews countless times but you could see in training what he was all about and I’m thankful now that he’s showing it on the pitch and he’s proving to everyone why he was such a hot prospect when he came to Tottenham Hotspur."





“I think he’s probably made one of the most amounts of challenges in the Premier League for a winger as well – that’s incredible, but I think it shows the willingness that we’ve all got to put our bodies on the line all over the pitch."

“Erik always gives 100 per cent and that’s what the gaffer wants. If you don’t perform offensively and defensively you’re not going to play and Erik’s taken that on himself. You can see that he’s done the extra gym work, he looks strong on the pitch and I think he’s doing fantastically well. He deserves all the praise that he gets.”





Lamela has carried his form on to the international stage featuring in every game of Argentina's Copa America campaign, scoring twice along the way. However, Argentina lost the Copa America final to Chile 4-2 on penalties on Sunday night after a 0-0 draw. The game was a heated affair as both teams went down to 10 men before half time, but no one could make the breakthrough as Chile went on to retain their title.







