Harry Diamond
Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino has defended Dele Alli and backed the midfielder to rediscover his best form.
The England international burst onto the scene as a teenager four seasons ago, winning back-to-back PFA Young Player of the Year awards and developing a reputation as a prolific scorer and creator from midfield.
The 23-year-old has struggled with injuries in recent times though and was left out of Gareth Southgate’s squad for England’s recent fixtures with the Czech Republic and Bulgaria.
However, Spurs boss Pochettino has urged fans to remember how young Alli is despite the midfielder having already scored 43 goals in 134 Premier League appearances.
Roy Keane on Dele Alli…
🗣He basically thought he was a player, thought he'd achieved something, but today, non-existent." pic.twitter.com/HHjZP35xwG
— Football Daily (@footballdaily) October 27, 2019
“We need to remember that Dele is still so young and the demand and pressure is massive for him,” Pochettino said at his press conference ahead of the trip to face Everton.
“Everyone expects big things, he’s English, he’s an international but is still 23 years old., He was fantastic and of course he’s dropped a little bit in performance but we need to help and back him.
“He needs to pay attention and be focused and try to improve and be strong again and perform in the way everyone expects.”
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