Tottenham interim head coach Ryan Mason has stated that he rewarded Dele Alli with a place in his starting XI against Sheffield United following an "excellent" week in training.
In and out of the matchday squad for the vast majority of the season under Jose Mourinho, the 25-year-old's start against the Blades is in fact only his third in the Premier League this campaign.
Alli isn't the only change Mason has made to his team from last week's Carabao Cup final as Gareth Bale has also come back in after having to make do with a place on the bench at Wembley last Sunday.
Having played alongside Alli at Tottenham in the past, Mason knows full well what the attacking midfielder is capable of and is hoping he performs after standing out at Hotspur Way all week.
Alli's return has seen Lucas Moura drop out of the team for the visit of Sheffield United as a result despite impressing in the cup final with some good runs against City.
Perhaps unlucky not to be included in the team again by Mason, the interim boss has revealed that the Brazilian only just returned to the training pitch on Saturday.
"Dele's had an excellent training week," the Spurs interim boss said ahead of the game. "I feel like he's stood out and I want to reward him for that.
"He's shown a hunger to compete in training. He's fit and I know what he's capable of.
"Lucas missed training all week and only returned to training yesterday. Gareth also had a good training week and it felt like the right time to bring him back in."
Three points for Tottenham this evening in N17 will see them jump into fifth with Liverpool's game at Manchester United postponed and West Ham not in action until Monday night.
