Mourinho asked whether Dele Alli will start against West Ham after return from ban

Tottenham Hotspur may have enjoyed the returns of Harry Kane, Moussa Sissoko, Steven Bergwijn, and Heung-min Son on Friday night, but they were without one key man in attack.

Dele Alli was handed a one-match ban by the FA ahead of the Manchester United game following a controversial social media post during the Coronavirus outbreak this year.

Alli had been a popular figure under Jose Mourinho since the Special One took charge back in November 2019.

With injuries to Harry Kane, Heung-min Son, and eventually Steven Bergwijn too, Alli became one of Tottenham’s most-utilised players in attack.

After serving his one-match ban, Dele is now eligible to make a return on Tuesday night if Jose Mourinho sees fit.

Spurs are still in the hunt for a Champions League place for next season, while West Ham are looking to avoid relegation.

Asked whether Alli would start against Tottenham’s London rivals, Mourinho told the media in his Zoom pre-match press conference (Football London): “Again, it’s one of these problems that we love.

“The problems that we hate were the problems I had for a long period when everybody was injured. Another problem we also don’t like when you want to change a player and you don’t have one on the bench from the same position.

“As I told you in the last game, we had lost of options in defence and midfield but without Lucas and Dele and by playing with the other four from the beginning, we were a little short.

“But our squad is amazing in these attacking positions so now we have six guys so I can try to choose well, which is what I always try to do. Try to read the game and use the guys on the bench in the right moment so they can also make an impact on the game. It’s great to have all six available.”

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