Former Arsenal and England centre-back Martin Keown has criticised Tottenham Hotspur head coach Jose Mourinho for his handling of Dele Alli's absence at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Having racked up almost 40 appearances in all competitions for Spurs last season, Alli now finds himself on the fringes of the first-team in north London, having been restricted to a paltry six appearances so far this term.
The former MK Dons midfielder has played just twice in the Premier League - his last appearance coming as a substitute in the 6-1 hammering of Manchester United back in October - and last appeared during Spurs' disappointing 1-0 reverse to Royal Antwerp in the Europa League.
That night, Alli, along with Giovani Lo Celso, Steven Bergwijn and summer signing Carlos Vinicius, was hauled off at half-time as Mourinho looked to try and navigate a route back into the game for his team.
The Portuguese chief, who will be looking to see his side record a fourth successive Premier League win when they face Manchester City at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday teatime, took to Instagram that night to vent his frustration at his side's performance.
Though Mourinho pointed no direct blame at Alli individually, it has become clear that he was less than impressed with the 24-year-old's performance, with him not having played a single minute for the club since.
For Keown, who was critical of Mourinho for that Instagram post, the way Alli has been treated by the former Chelsea and Manchester United boss has left him less than impressed.
"I don't like the way that Dele Alli has been treated and the tweets that have been made public," Keown told talkSPORT. "I don't like where he [Mourinho] has taken photographs of himself, saying: 'Look at me, I'm upset. I hope the players are upset too.'
"I don't think it is necessary. Why make it public?
"Dele Alli, I think, could be shown a little bit more respect. That would be my only argument.
"I never thought someone like Mourinho would go to social media to create a point with his players.
"But, anyway, the modern day manager does what he wants."
Since making his Spurs debut back in August 2015, Alli has made more than 220 appearances for the club, scoring 63 goals, as well as registering 55 assists.
Despite those impressive figures, Alli appears to have no future in north London, meaning he could be in line for a January exit, despite his contract not being up until the summer of 2024.
