Roy Hodgson has joked that he wouldn't have minded Dele Alli waiting another couple of weeks to rediscover his Tottenham form.
In Jose Mourinho's Spurs XI on the opening day of the season against Everton, the attacking midfielder was hooked after 45 minutes and barely featured in the Premier League after that.
Remaining at the club in January despite talk of a mid-season switch to Paris Saint-Germain to link up with Mauricio Pochettino due to his lack of minutes, the Spurs ace has come back into favour recently at such a crucial time in the campaign.
Finding the net in the recent Europa League win over Wolfsberger AC and then playing a big part in the only goal at Fulham on Thursday night, Alli may find himself in the starting XI once again due to his upturn in form.
Asked about his former England player ahead of London derby at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Hodgson is very happy to see the ex-MK Dons man getting back towards his best again but he will be hoping he doesn't prove to be a decisive figure in this evening's match.
“I am very pleased for him because he is a player I like and admire,” said the experienced manager when previewing the game.
“He is an excellent player and it’s always sad when a player with so much potential hits hard times and maybe is not able to get his place in the team for whatever reason that is.
“It’s very good on a personal basis for my relationship if you like with Dele Alli, who I enjoyed working with and who I thought was a very good player, to see him playing again.
“But I wouldn’t have minded if he waited another couple of weeks!”
Speaking about Alli ahead of the previous meeting between the sides in December, Hodgson did open the door to a potential move across the capital for the player due to his regular absence from the Spurs squad.
"You never know," he told reporters in December when asked if the Eagles could launch a bid to take the midfielder on loan.
"I'm pretty certain that if Dele Alli is ever released in any way, either on loan or to be sold, there will be clubs interested in him because he is a quality player, and I'm certain everyone understands that.
"But in a squad of players that you are working with, every manager has to use the squad in the way that he thinks is best for the team."
