Tottenham boss Martin Jol paid tribute to Egyptian striker Ahmed Hossam "Mido" after his sparkling display against Manchester City in the Premiership on Wednesday. Mido scored a goal and set-up Ireland's Robbie Keane for another to help Tottenham beat City 2-0 as he continues his impressive run of form. "Mido is pretty important to my team. He works hard, has scored six goals in nine games and is a big influence on the squad," Jol was quoted as saying by BBC on Thursday. The 22-year-old talisman will miss several of his team's local clashes as he will depart to play with Egypt in the African Cup of Nations (ACN) later this month.
Martin Jol Egypt will host the ACN that kicks-off on the 20th of January and ends on February 10th. The Dutch coach stressed he will find it difficult to replace Mido while stating his consolation that all Premiership teams share the same circumstances. "I know roughly how I am going to replace Mido and Jermain (Defoe) is not a bad player to have available but the only good thing is we are not the only team in this situation," he said. Tottenham are currently in fourth place in the Premiership table with 40 points.