Tottenham boss Nuno Espirito Santo has instructed Dele Alli to forget the past after being handed an opportunity to impress by the Portuguese.
The midfielder has started in each of the opening two Premier League games this season, even scoring the winning goal against Espirito Santo’s former club Wolverhampton Wanderers from the penalty spot.
He will be aiming to impress once more as Spurs take on Watford at home on Sunday afternoon. Should he be selected to start and complete the game once more, it would be the first time he has completed the full 90 in the Premier League in three successive games since November 2020.
It is certainly a sign of Alli’s re-emergence under Espirito Santo following a highly inconsistent few seasons in which the 25-year-old has struggled with poor form and injury.
Ahead of the clash with Watford, Espirito Santo has told Alli to forget about what has happened, and only focus on continuing his positive contributions throughout the current campaign.
He said: “My message to all the players has been exactly the same. It is a unique message: the best of each one of us, for the team. What happened in the past, it’s the past.”
When asked to evaluate Alli’s performances throughout the season so far, he then replied: “He had a fantastic match against Wolves. His work-rate was fantastic.
“Dele is a very talented player but what he is doing is the way he should do it and improve.
“He needs to keep on being consistent, work hard and help the team, keep doing what he is doing every day. He comes to the building, his attitude...
“The talent is there and it is up to us to find the best solutions, creating relationships, but he is doing well.”
