Owen Hargreaves has told Dele Alli what he needs to do in order to claim back his place in the Tottenham Hotspur team.
Alli was handed his fifth start of the season against Ludogorets in the Europa League for Jose Mourinho 's side.
The England international has fallen out of favour under the Spurs boss in the early stages of the season, and was handed a rare place in the starting XI.
The 24-year-old is yet to score a goal in competitive football this season, but did manage to find the net in Spurs' Europa League qualifying games against Maccabi Haifa.
His worrying form for the north London side has sparked rumours that he could be set to leave the club in January, or a few months later, when the summer transfer window opens.
However, Mourinho picked Alli from the start in Spurs' fourth group game of the season and Hargreaves has offered his advice to the former MK Dons star.
The Spurs midfielder started the game brightly as well, playing a massive part in the setup of Carlos Vinicius ' opener early on at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium before bagging another assist, once again teeing up Vinicius for the second.
Speaking prior to kick-off on BT Sport, Hargreaves said: “I love Dele. Just play hungry, play like this is everything for you, show them what he’s got.
"He’s a special player, he just needs to go back to playing hungry.”
Former Spurs striker Peter Crouch was stood alongside Hargreaves in the studio and he highlighted the importance of the game for Alli.
The Ludogorets clash was Alli's first start since Mourinho's side lost 1-0 away to Antwerp in the same competition last month.
Crouch explained: “Big night for Dele Alli. He’s started four games and he’s been hooked off in a few of those.
"It doesn’t look like Mourinho fancies him, so it’s a big night for him - whether it’s a shop window or it’s a chance for him to get back in the setup. It’ll be interesting to see how he gets on.”
