Micky van de Ven details what he told Xavi Simons during private Tottenham talks

Micky van de Ven shared his delight after Xavi Simons netted his first Tottenham goal in Spurs' 2-0 Premier League triumph over Brentford on Saturday afternoon

Xavi Simons' first Tottenham goal came as no surprise to Micky van de Ven - because he recently told his compatriot his time would come.

The marquee £51.8million summer signing has endured a frustrating start to life in N17 but he was the toast of Spurs' first Premier League home win since the opening day of season on Saturday when he also assisted against Brentford.

Van de Ven said when asked whether he's had to put an arm around his club and international team-mate: "No, to be honest, he kept training hard. He kept training every day to become a better player, every day over and over again.

"Of course, in the moments where he's a bit down because he didn't start, I'm there for him and I speak with him.

"I said, 'Xavi, trust me, your time will come, don't you worry' and obviously today you saw his qualities."

Van de Ven is confident Simons, who had started Spurs' previous four matches on the bench prior to dazzling against the Bees, will now kick on and prove his worth.

The imperious centre-back added: "Obviously he didn't start the last games but I know Xavi has the quality to create things for us. He can be really important for us, I know that.

"For you guys [the media], of course, it's more difficult to see that, but I think he showed it today by himself as well.

"He delivered an unbelievable performance today and was really important for the team."

It's been a productive week for Thomas Frank, whose spirited side also battled back from behind twice to earn a credible point at Newcastle in midweek.

Van de Ven wants Spurs to look back on the past two matches as a turning point in their season ahead of the gruelling festive schedule.

He explained: "It was a good point at Newcastle and an important home win today. You can see in the table that all the teams are really close together. One game you can be fifth, the next you can be 13th.

"I think now we're coming into the months that are going to make the difference in whether you're going to play for the European spots or if you're going to play more down the bottom.

"Tuesday [Slavia Prague] is important for us in the Champions League as well, then it's Nottingham Forest away.

"That will be a really tough game but if we can get three points, as you say, you're looking upwards."

Van de Ven insists the Tottenham dressing room has total faith in Frank, concluding on the Dane: "Of course, when a team is not doing really well, everybody is going to be on the manager.

"He's come into a new club and has had to adapt, Tottenham is different with all respect to Brentford. But we're good with him and the team trusts in him.

"He knows what he wants us to do and we know what he wants. So we just do what we need to do and we back him every day."