Neil Taylor has heaped praise on Joe Allen for his impact on the Wales national team at Euro2016.

The Liverpool midfielder has been the architect for the Dragons brilliant group stage form which has seen them set up a Round of 16 clash with Northern Ireland in Paris on Saturday.

While Real Madrid star Gareth Bale may attract all the headlines, Swansea City left-back Taylor says it is Allen who is really the heart and soul of the Welsh side.

"He is making the team tick definitely, that's what a good central midfield player does," he said.

"He is a very important player for us and we've missed him a few times in internationals for various reasons when he was injured. But when he's there, you can see the difference he makes to our team.

"Joe Allen is a very good football player, and he warrants being at such a big football club like Liverpool. His performances are showing that now. We are very happy for him that he is showing it on this stage.

"Like a lot of players tend to do at tournaments, they raise their level, and Joe has definitely done that. He is a massive player for us."

Allen has quite often been described as the 'Welsh Pirlo' or 'Welsh Xavi' but Taylor says he is simply 'Joe Allen' who gets the job done for Wales.

"The hardest thing for him is that he didn't give himself those names," he added.

"I can see why people give it to him, because of the way he plays, but Joe is his own man. He's Joe Allen, and he's crucial for us."