Southampton boss Mauricio Pochettino has praised captain Rickie Lambert after his side's impressive 3-1 win over defending champions Manchester City on Saturday.
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The 30-year-old's performances this season have earned him countless plaudits and he has been instrumental in the Saints' bid to stay in the top-flight beyond this campaign.
The former Bristol Rovers striker has scored 11 goals in what is his first season in the Premier League and Pochettino is surprised the Englishman had not been handed an opportunity in England's top-flight sooner.
"For me, he's an extraordinary footballer. When I see his career, I'm surprised he hasn't played longer in the Premier League," the former Espanyol boss told the Daily Mirror.
"He has many qualities and none are outstanding over the others. It's well known he's a good player, he can shoot well and he's skilful, what surprised me is his mentality."
The Argentine has been impressed with the mental strength of the team since taking over at St Mary's last month and believes there is a certain verve about the current Saints team.
"We have a methodology and philosophy and the players have shown a great willingness to accept it," he added. "The players have a great capacity for assimilating ideas, a great intelligence and have also adapted very, very well."
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