Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino is hopeful that Fernando Llorente will become an "important" player for the rest of the season.
The Spaniard has struggled for game time since moving to North London from Swansea City last summer.
This season, the forward has started just 10 games in all competitions, including one in the Premier League.
On Wednesday night, Llorente was the star of the show as he netted a hat-trick in Spurs' 6-1 victory over Rochdale in an FA Cup fifth-round replay at Wembley.
"It is important, I am so happy and seeing people happy for him," the London Evening Standard quotes Pochettino as saying. "Of course, I was disappointed and from the beginning it was difficult to adapt.
"I think that we hope that hat-trick helps him to feel more free and be more natural and become an important player to help us to the end of the season."
In total, Llorente has scored five goals in all competitions this season.
Danielle Joynson
