“He’s a great man” – Former manager defends the character of Spurs star

Following Tottenham Hotspur’s defeat to Liverpool on Sunday, Dele Alli found himself at the centre of a debate involving three ex-professionals.

Graeme Souness, Gary Neville and Roy Keane all dissected the performance of the Spurs midfielder, who came in for some heavy criticism (Sky Sports).

His performances have left a lot to be desired with some people questioning if the 23-year-old had let the hype surrounding him after his first couple of years at Spurs get to him.

Karl Robinson, who managed Dele at MK Doms has claimed that the Spurs midfielder will soon return to his best and has sent out a warning to his critics.

Speaking to Sky Sports News (28/10/19 at 12:10 pm), Robinson said, “Right him off at your peril in some ways. The reason being he is that type of character. He is young. He will make mistakes because that’s what young people do.”

Robinson, who now manages Oxford United, raved about the England midfielder’s work ethic and his desire to keep improving. He declared that the criticism he is getting will only motivate him to prove people wrong.

Robinson added, “He’s an extremely talented individual. He’s a great man. Somebody that will work hard. Somebody that will listen to the right people. I know some of the things people have been saying about him, he will listen. He wants to be the best he can possibly be.

“That showed because he was the last off the training ground every day. The sports science team were constantly frustrated about the amount of football that he wanted to play. The distances he would cover.

“He smashed all the records in pre-season. All these little things that get said, only fuel the fire. He will get back to his best and I look forward to watching that.”

Spurs Web Opinion

I have actually been quite pleased with Alli’s displays since he returned to the team. Given that he didn’t have a full preseason, it was expected that he would be rusty in his first few games back but there were signs in the second half against Watford last weekend that he was getting his confidence back.

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