West Ham United defender James Collins has hailed the progress this season of young centre-half James Tomkins.

The Wales international told whufc.com: "I've been here for four years and as soon as I came in, everyone was talking about Tomka and when I've been out he's been fantastic.

"If Specs (Jonathan Spector) had been available at Spurs I'd have been on the bench as he's performed so well. Unfortunately for Jon, he's got injured but it's given me a chance to get back into the team. Tomka is a fantastic player and he's got a really bright future in front of him."