Former Tottenham Hotspur striker Peter Crouch has claimed that Dele Alli would have been feeling deflated after being named on the bench for Sunday’s Premier League clash against Burnley.
The 24-year-old caught the eye against Wolfsberger last Wednesday night after being handed a rare start by Jose Mourinho.
Dele opened the scoring with a stunning overhead free-kick and also provided two assists; the first for Carlos Vinicius and the second for Gareth Bale, who had come on as a 69th-minute substitute.
Despite his man of the match display, he failed to make the starting eleven for the visit of the Clarets.
Crouch has warned that the England international should not be left to rot and would have been disappointed to have missed out after putting in an impressive shift.
Dele instead had to make do with 24 minutes after replacing goalscorer Lucas Moura when the North Londoners were already 4-0 ahead.
Crouch said in his Daily Mail column: “I was at Tottenham last Wednesday and I thought Alli was super,”
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“He had a glint in his eyes, he looked hungry and a class above.
“Yes, he was playing opponents who were average but his quality shone through and it was a reminder of how good he can be. So I could understand why he would have been frustrated yesterday.
“He hasn’t featured in nine of Tottenham’s Premier League squads this season and that is too much absence for a player of his class. He shouldn’t be left to rot, he shouldn’t have a career that is just drifting aimlessly.
“We aren’t privy to what is happening behind closed doors and we have to respect why Jose Mourinho is making these calls. But I expect Dele would have been totally deflated at being on the bench against Burnley.
“Gareth Bale looked like the Gareth Bale we all know against Burnley. Harry Kane and Heung-min Son were on fire, too.
“If you add Dele into that equation, you have a front four who are as exciting as anything in the country. I hope he gets another chance.”
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