Paul Robinson has claimed that Jose Mourinho is testing Dele Alli by sending mixed signals to the midfielder after he was left out of Tottenham’s matchday squad against Leicester.
While most of Alli’s minutes this season have come in Europe, the midfielder was an unused substitute in Tottenham’s final Europa League group game against Royal Antwerp two weeks ago.
That seemed to suggest that the midfielder was far away from breaking into the Tottenham side but, surprisingly, the England international then made back to back appearances in the Premier League as he came off the bench against both Crystal Palace and Liverpool.
However, Mourinho pulled another surprise on Sunday as the 24-year-old did not even make the bench for Tottenham’s clash against Leicester despite the Spurs boss having the opportunity to name nine substitutes.
The Daily Mail revealed that Alli was not offered any explanation by the Tottenham boss about his omission on Sunday and that the midfielder has been left in the dark over his future.
Reacting to Alli’s mixed fortunes, Robinson told Football Insider: “Mourinho is testing him, He is certainly testing his mentality and his mental strength.
“When he has been given an opportunity he has played well. He has taken his chances and that is all he can do.
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“It is an extremely difficult position for Dele Alli because he is being left of the squad completely.
“Does he have a future under Mourinho? If this is Jose testing him, he is doing very well.”
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It is possible that Robinson is reading too much into this and Mourinho simply thought others in the squad were better options to bring off the bench against Leicester. With Lamela also now back from injury, one would imagine that Alli would find it even harder to force his way into the side.
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