Ex-Tottenham Hotspur player Garth Crooks has had a dig at Jose Mourinho over the form of Dele Alli in his BBC Sport Team of the Week.
Crooks claimed that ‘Nuno Espirito Santo has done what Jose Mourinho failed to achieve’ because he has ‘found the player again’.
There were various reports throughout last season that there was a falling out between Mourinho and Dele and this was seemingly reflected in his game time throughout the campaign.
The 25-year-old played 15 games in the Premier League during the last campaign, with most of his minutes coming under interim manager Ryan Mason towards the end of the season.
The arrival of new manager Nuno, however, has seen the midfielder feature a lot more.
Dele was impressive in pre-season and has since been ever-present in the opening two Premier League games, where Spurs have beaten Manchester City and Wolves without conceding a goal.
He even scored a penalty against Wolves which turned out to be the match-winner.
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Crooks, who chose Dele in his Team of the Week, aimed a sly dig at Mourinho regarding his treatment of the 25-year-old:
He said: “This is the second consecutive week that Alli has started and finished a game for Spurs.
“I wonder if Nuno Espirito Santo has done what Jose Mourinho failed to achieve and found the player again?
“It normally works when you treat people nicely.”
SpursWeb Opinion
The Dele and Mourinho situation was one of the most interesting sub-plots of the last Premier League season. But, if the Dele resurgence continues, the pie could be slapped in the face of Mourinho. Not that he cares.
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