Jose Mourinho has explained his decision to start Dele Alli in Tottenham's season-opener against Everton.
Spurs are taking on Everton this afternoon at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, kicking off their season against the much-strengthened Toffees, lead by Carlo Ancelotti.
Alli missed much of the back-end of last season through injury, and fans who have watched Spurs' All or Nothing Amazon documentary series will have seen Mourinho criticising the England international for his approach to training.
But today the midfielder was back in the starting line-up, and that had a lot to do with his fitness levels, according to Mourinho.
Asked by Sky Sports if the decision was because of a good pre-season on Alli's part, Mourinho replied: "Yeah, he was one of the players who started day one and also, because of no national team, he managed to have the whole pre-season with the team and to play all four preparation matches.
"So, from a fitness point of view, he is one of the players that has to be in a good condition."
Alli started 21 times in the Premier League last season, making 28 league appearances in all.
The playmaker netted nine and assisted six times in all competitions, a record he will be looking to further improve as Spurs aim to return to Champions League contention in their first full season under Mourinho.
