In an interview earlier this year Sir Alex Ferguson said: ‘I thought Dele Alli was going to be a top player, I must admit. I don’t know what’s happened there.’
The good news for Alli is he has time to prove Ferguson right. At 25, his best years should still be ahead of him. The bad news is that it is going to be a long way back.
From the boy that had the world at his feet as he returned home from England’s euphoric run to the World Cup semi-final in 2018 to warming the Tottenham bench under three separate managers - you wonder how it has all come to this.
Dele Alli's best years should still be ahead of him but it is now going to be a long way back
The Tottenham playmaker thrived in the years under former boss Mauricio Pochettino
The truth, as with most things, lies within a myriad of reasons - some of Alli’s making, some totally out of his control.
The biggest problem Alli has faced is a lack of self-confidence. Mauricio Pochettino made Alli feel like he could float on air.
During his 18 months in charge, Jose Mourinho slowly destroyed Alli’s self-belief.
It wasn’t merely the fact that he wasn’t playing, or left out of match-day squads altogether, under the Portuguese, but more pertinently the lack of communication.
Mourinho is cut from old school cloth; Alli doesn’t respond to that. Pochettino identified very early on that Alli requires an arm round the shoulder.
It’s no surprise that Alli’s most productive days as a footballer were under Pochettino and Karl Robinson, who both embraced the midfielder like he was family.
At his best, Alli was the swashbuckling central midfielder who swaggered across the football pitch with the air of a man who knew he was destined for the top.
Some will call it ego. Maybe it is - but the best players often have that arrogance. Off the pitch, however, Alli is an altogether different animal: a quiet and timid boy in need of support, not a rollocking.
It’s no surprise then when Pochettino tried to re-sign Alli for Paris Saint Germain last January, the midfielder was left devastated that Daniel Levy vetoed the move. Mourinho made a personal beeline to Alli at the time in an attempt to quell tensions. But by that time it was too late, the relationship was dead in the water.
During his 18 months in charge at Spurs, Jose Mourinho slowly destroyed Alli’s self-belief
The Special One’s eventual sacking in April and
