Jose Mourinho had a unique way of challenging Dele Alli over his dip in form.
“I asked him if he was Dele or Dele’s brother,” said the new Tottenham boss. “He told me he was Dele. ‘Okay,’ I said. ‘Play like Dele’.”
Alli missed the start of the season with a hamstring problem and has struggled to recapture his best ever since.
As a result, the 23-year-old has lost his place in Gareth Southgate’s England squad and faces a fight to be part of the group for Euro 2020 but Alli will hope the former Chelsea and Manchester United manager’s arrival instigates a turnaround in fortunes.
Ahead of Mourinho’s first Spurs game at West Ham on Saturday lunchtime, the Portuguese admitted he is not expecting an instant improvement.
“He is potentially a fantastic player,” said Mourinho. “Now, I have to create a tactical situation he is happy with, give him the right dynamics and prepare him physically well because he has had important injuries and he is not on the top of his form.
“I cannot expect him to play on Saturday – if he plays – and go there and be man of the match.
"But he needs to go through a process that will bring the real Dele back because the real Dele is the one who in the last few years has impressed us all.”
