Kyle Walker 'hates' training with Mousa Dembele but hails midfielder as a role model to Tottenham academy

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Tom Doyle17 January 2017

Mousa Dembele is a nightmare for his Tottenham team-mates to train against despite being a "joy" for Spurs supporters to watch, according to Kyle Walker.

Dembele turned in another impressive performance for Spurs in Saturday's 4-0 win over West Brom, completing 89 passes with an overall accuracy of 95.5 per cent to control the midfield.

The Belgium international is widely regarded as one of Europe's top dribblers considering his speed, size and technique, and Walker says that the Dembele Spurs fans cheer on a matchday is a real struggle to stop in training.

Asked what Dembele offers to Spurs, Walker told the club's official website: "It’s difficult to say!

"In training, I hate him because it’s so frustrating, I can’t get the ball off him!

"When he’s playing for you on a Saturday, he’s fantastic, a joy to watch.

"The ball is like glue, it doesn’t move from his feet.

"I always view him as left footed and I always think he’s going to go left but he pushes it that far, you can’t get it.

"He’s a joy to watch and young footballers coming through the Spurs Academy can look up to him and try to replicate what he’s doing."

Mauricio Pochettino believes the midfield partnership of Victor Wanyama and Dembele's was "key" to Spurs' win against Tony Pulis' Baggies, saying: "Always they provide very good balance to the team - in possession and out of possession.

"It was a great performance from both. I think it was key today - with the ball and without the ball - to have that balance.

"It's always important in transition when you play a team that always tries to play counter attack.

"They're always in a very good possession without the ball but in position and knowing what they need to do. They were key in that dynamic."

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