Wigan Athletic boss Roberto Martinez is proud of the progress of Joe Allen at Swansea City.

Allen, a target for Liverpool and Tottenham, will start for Team GB tonight in the Olympics opener against Senegal.

"Obviously I gave Joe his debut at Swansea at 16, and since then he has developed into a top, top footballer," Martinez told the Wigan Evening Post.

"He is a played who will get even better as he gets older and stronger, but his tactical awareness is already there.

"He's still very young, but sometimes you need to put players in a position where they will be challenged - and Joe reached that point very early in his development.

"Whatever the challenge, Joe always finds a way to be himself, because he has a tactical knowledge and awareness that allows him to do that.

"He is capable of being anything he wants to be, and I have been so proud of the way he has matured as a footballer."