Adam Lallana has downplayed comparisons his game has drawn to Spanish greats Xavi and Andrés Iniesta.

"We haven't seen a player like that in this country for a long time," said his Southampton manager Mauricio Pochettino.

"It's flattering to hear those comparisons but I had a chat with [Pochettino] and told him I didn't really agree with him," he told reporters.

"I mentioned it to him a couple of times because they are world-class players who have won World Cups, European Championships and Champions Leagues.

"So, hopefully in the summer, I will have the chance to grace the field with them and test myself against them. They are obviously big players that I look up to. The way they move the ball and manipulate it.

"The Spaniards have been at the top for the past five or six years with the national team but we will be looking to change that this summer."