Thomas Partey put up a superlative performance for Atlético Madrid since regaining a starting berth in the squad.
The arrival of Diego Costa and Vitolo displaced the Ghanaian in recent games but that trend seems to have changed in the last two games.
The 24-year-old enjoyed the most successful passes in the 4-1 demolition of Copenhagen in the Europa League last week.
Again, the African enjoyed a 94% passing success in the win against Athletic Bilbao, showing clearly he is piece that covers a lot in the centre of the field.
The midfielder fired once, won two out of three dribbles and won three out of seven aerial duels.
Partey retrieved the ball six times and intercepted four but what stood out in the match for the Ghanaian against Bilbao was his near-perfect ball recovery.
Up to 17 balls recovered by the Ghanaian, he did so either by direct struggle, interception or because the ball reached his boots in the play itself.
Never before had he recovered so many balls in a match of regular competition. It is evident that he is a midfielder who covers a lot of field for his physique and that offers a great performance for the La Liga side.
"Thomas's thing is continuous growth. It hurts when you stay outside. And with the company of Koke, Saul and Griezmann, he will grow. We talk a lot with him." said manager Diego Simeone.
He is the sixth best passer in the Atleti team after GodÃn (727), Saúl (898), Gabi (983) and Koke (1006).