Former Tottenham Hotspur captain Graham Roberts has called previous manager Jose Mourinho’s treatment of Dele Alli ‘absolutely pathetic’ (Football Fancast).
Dele Alli only played 617 minutes in the Premier League last season, failing to score a single goal. A large number of these minutes came in the last five games under interim manager Ryan Mason.
There were rumours of a big falling out between Dele and Mourinho as the 25-year-old attacking midfielder was starved of consistent minutes.
Dele’s bad form was highlighted when he wasn’t included in England’s Euro 2020’s squad this summer despite being a key member of the 2018 World Cup squad.
New manager Nuno Espirito Santo has played two pre-season friendlies so far, against Leyton Orient and Colchester United, and Dele has started both. He even scored against Colchester last night in the first half of a 3-0 win.
Dele played in key role under Pochettino’s Tottenham and many fans will want to see a revival season from the attacking midfielder.
Roberts had his say on Dele and Mourinho’s relationship: “I’ve always liked Dele Alli, I think he’s a great player.
“You know last year the way Mourinho treated him was absolutely pathetic. You don’t treat football players in that way to get the best out of them, and I think the rest of the players turned against Mourinho because of that.”
SpursWeb Opinion
Dele’s situation has been reverted to a puzzle. He was once one of the most sought after young talents in world football but his career has slowly stalled. Nuno has to rejuvenate his career or his stock will continue to fall.
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