Paul Robinson has lauded Serge Aurier for his 'unreal' efforts after he played twice for Tottenham Hotspur following the death of his brother.
Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, the former Spurs star insisted Aurier showed real courage and determination in the face of such adversity.
His younger brother Christopher was shot dead in the French city of Toulouse, reportedly outside of a nightclub, a day after Tottenham beat Arsenal 2-1 at home.
Nevertheless, the Ivorian played the full 90 minutes against Newcastle United and Leicester City respectively.
Robinson admitted he did not expect to see him back so soon and gave Aurier credit for his mental strength. The player-turned-pundit told football writer Dylan Childs “it is absolutely unreal.
“The mental strength that the lad must have is absolutely sensational.
“People deal with things in different ways but after the tragic news that we heard you did not think for one minute that we would see him in a Tottenham shirt again this season. That would have been completely understandable.
“You cannot comprehend something like that and you cannot understand what he has had to go through. So to play two games of football is absolutely incredible.”
It is hard to argue with Robinson on this one, as Aurier has started twice in a row since the shocking news first broke.
The right-back has recently returned to France to grieve with his family following the death of his brother and promised not to seek revenge. He posted a picture of himself on social media consoling his mother.
/CCwC_3ShDMK/
While the Ivory Coast captain was at fault for the error that led to Newcastle's equaliser, he didn't allow this to deter him, making 3 clearances, completing 4 tackles, and earning a pass accuracy rating of 85% by the time he had finished (via SofaScore).
The 27-year-old has played 32 games in the Premier League this season, scoring one goal, supplying five assists, providing one key pass per game, averaging 2.8 tackles, and registering 2.6 clearances on average (stats provided by WhoScored).
Jose Mourinho had been prepared to use Gedson Fernandes, Oliver Skipp and Moussa Sissoko as possible replacements in case Aurier couldn't play, but the ex-Paris Saint-Germain ace showed he is willing to put his personal life aside to push Spurs towards a spot in the Europa League.
The Lilywhites are currently seventh in the table, merely a point behind Wolverhampton Wanderers, with everything left to play for in the last game of the season.
Tottenham fans, has your opinion of Serge Aurier changed in the past couple of weeks? Let us know down below!