Peter Crouch has claimed that Nuno Espirito Santo has put his trust in Dele Alli, unlike his predecessor, Jose Mourinho.
Alli struggled for game time last season, starting just seven Premier League games, most of which came after Ryan Mason replaced Mourinho as the interim head coach.
The England international admitted during the summer that the 2020-21 campaign was the most testing one of his career as a professional so far.
The 25-year-old was linked with a move away from Spurs this summer but he ultimately ended up staying at the club.
That decision has proven to be the right one, with Nuno Espirito Santo starting Alli in all four of Tottenham’s opening Premier League games so far this season.
While the midfielder started the campaign strongly, he was one of several Spurs stars to put in a lacklustre display at Selhurst Park on Saturday as the North Londoners fell to an embarrassing 3-0 defeat to Palace.
However, Crouch feels that the Tottenham star can return to his best under Nuno, given the faith the Portuguese coach has shown in him.
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The pundit told BT Sport 1 (11:51 am, September 11, 2021): “He (Dele) needs to play with a smile on his face.
“I think someone like him needs to play free, needs to enjoy himself. I think Mourinho didn’t trust him in that position.
“What Nuno has done now is give him that trust and play him in that central role. ‘I know you are winning it back, I know you are going to work hard for me’.”
Spurs Web Opinion
We saw plenty of evidence under Pochettino that Alli can be a top player when he is shown some love and given the confidence to play his natural game. While it is still early days under Nuno, the signs are that the 47-year-old does trust the midfielder to be a key part of his plans.
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