Assou-Ekotto: Parker doing a 'great job'

Parker sealed a £5 million move from the recently-relegated Hammers on transfer deadline day, and has quickly established himself as a key member of the Tottenham midfield.

The North Londoners are yet to lose a match in which Parker has featured, winning seven and drawing once, and left-back Assou-Ekotto has saluted the England international for his positive impact on the side.

“Scott is doing a great job in central midfield. He runs everywhere and gives everything every game," Assou-Ekotto told Tottenham's official website.

“Everyone knows how important the midfield is in a game, so when he is in great form, so are we.

“For the first game, maybe he didn’t know everyone, but after that it was like he’d been here 10 years.

“He brings with him a positive attitude and a leader’s attitude. When we watch him, he has a great attitude and we can see that on the pitch. For us, he’s been a big positive.”

Parker won the man of the match award for his performance for England in Saturday's win over world champions Spain, and will be seeking to continue his impressive start to the campaign against Aston Villa next Monday evening.

Gary Parkinson is a freelance writer, editor, trainer, muso, singer, actor and coach. He spent 14 years at FourFourTwo as the Global Digital Editor and continues to regularly contribute to the magazine and website, including major features on Euro 96, Subbuteo, Robert Maxwell and the inside story of Liverpool's 1990 title win. He is also a Bolton Wanderers fan.