Phil Neville believes Spurs star will soon return to his best after tough time

There weren’t a lot of positives to come out of Tottenham’s draw against Watford on Saturday but one good sign was Dele Alli finding the back of the net in his first Premier League start of the season.

Alli has missed the majority of the games so far this season a hamstring issue and has subsequently lost his place in the England squad.

The 23-year-old was handed an opportunity against Watford by Mauricio Pochettino and he looked a little like his old self as he interlinked play impressively and was involved in most of the good things Spurs did on the day which was rounded off with his first goal since January.

Former Manchester United and Everton defender Phil Neville praised Alli’s display against Watford and insisted that it was only a matter of time before he returns to his best.

The 42-year-old who is now the head coach of the England women’s team, also felt VAR’s decision to give Alli’s goal was correct.

Speaking on BBC’s Match of the Day 2 on 20/10/19 from 22:30, Neville said: “Alli was the best of a bad bunch (in the 1-1 draw against Watford). He has been through a tough time and didn’t get picked for England in midweek.

“He is a top class player and what you saw today was someone getting confidence and belief back in him. He was playing in between the lines and he was allowing Harry Kane to play on the shoulder of the defender.

“There was no Christian Eriksen in the team so it was important they had that link to the centre forward. He was the one who continually tried to get Spurs in the game and score.

“It was a poor mistake from Ben Foster (for the goal) but it was a brilliant finish. I thought it was the correct decision and more towards the chest and his shoulder. There was still a lot to do with the finish and that (VAR mistake) was embarrassing.”

Spurs Web Opinion

Alli has been unfortunate to get the criticism he has in recent times as his injuries have halted his development over the last year or so. At his best, I believe he is arguably our best midfielder and given that he is only 23 years of age, I believe he has the potential to become a club legend.

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