Spurs' Bentaleb relishing World Cup adventure

The midfielder broke into Tottenham's team under Tim Sherwood last season, his form at White Hart Lane enough to earn a place in Vahid Halilhodzic's 23-man squad.

With 20 first-team outings for Spurs under his belt last season, Bentaleb also made his international bow against Slovenia in March.

And the teenager admitted his surprise at earning his place at football's biggest showcase.

"It's going to be amazing for me," he told Tottenham's official website. "At the beginning of the season I was not expecting to play at the World Cup, I was looking to be at home watching it!

"I think it's been a very good season for me.

"It's my first season playing at the highest level and I think I did pretty well to get a chance to be in the World Cup.

"It's going to be an amazing experience."

Algeria face Belgium in their opening game of the finals, before matches against Group H rivals Russia and South Korea.