Ruud van Nistelrooy had plenty of praise for his Leicester City stars after their huge win against Tottenham Hotspur.
The Foxes beat Spurs 2-1 as they came from a goal down to win and pull themselves out of the bottom three.
Jamie Vardy and Bilal El Khannouss were on the scoresheet as Vardy trolled the home fans with his celebration in a nail-biting encounter in North London.
In the end, it was Leicester who held their nerve to end a run of seven Premier League defeats in a row.
Several Foxes players starred in the huge win but Van Nistelrooy was there to single out one star who has become an unsung hero this season.
- READ MORE: BBC pundit says Leicester celebrated ‘like they have won the league’ after comeback win vs Spurs
Ruud van Nistelrooy singles out Boubakary Soumare for starring role this season
If you asked Leicester fans who would be one of their most important players this season, Boubakary Soumare wouldn’t have been mentioned once.
The £17m star has proved a point to Foxes fans this season and is now one of the first names on the teamsheet.
Although he didn’t score or assist, the Frenchman was pivotal in breaking up play and providing the link between attack and defence.
Some Leicester fans suggested that the win against Spurs was Soumare’s best in a Leicester shirt, but Van Nistelrooy disagreed and feels that he has been consistent all year round.
He told Leicestershire Live: “I think it was in line with the performances of the other weeks. I think he’s been exceptional, right from the beginning that we started working together. It’s in line with his previous performances because they were all outstanding.”
Boubakary Soumare stats vs Spurs
Playing in the defensive midfield role isn’t always the most glamarous, and certainly doesn’t get headlines, but it can’t be understated as to how important Soumare was against Spurs.
The 25-year-old had 50 touches during the game, completing 90 per cent of his passes and martialing in front of the back four.
| Boubakary Soumare stats | |
| Minutes played | 90 |
| Touches | 50 |
| Passes completed | 37/41 (90%) |
| Ground duels won | 4/4 (100%) |
| Aerial duels won | 1/2 (50%) |
| Sofascore rating | 7.1 |
With Wilfred Ndidi set to return to training this week, Van Nistelrooy is going to be given a selection headache when it comes to picking one of the two for his starting lineup.