Tottenham Hotspur legend Teddy Sheringham has urged Dele Alli to stop believing the hype around his own talent and get down to hard work to get his top form back.
The 24-year-old has struggled for form in recent seasons, dropping out of the England squad and coming under criticism from many.
Dele was taken off at half-time of Spurs's 1-0 defeat to Everton in their Premier League opener on Sunday, and his place in the side has come under some scrutiny.
And Sheringham has given the midfielder some advice on how he can get back to the form which made him one of the top young talents in football.
“Things happen in football. You get talked about in certain ways and sometimes you believe the hype," Sheringham told football.london at the Maurice Newman's charity golf day in aid of Great Ormond Street hospital.
"He was an unbelievable prospect. Has he realised those optimistic feelings? Has he got the best out of his ability? I don’t think he has yet because he is probably believing the hype around him.
"He needs to get back to getting his nut down, do his best for the team and be the player that he was three years ago. Then you might have the player back again.
"I don’t think it is anyone else. I don’t think he carried that many injuries, it is not like he has had big injury after big injury which sets a player back.
"It is probably all up there (in his head) and he needs to have good professionals around him which get him playing the game how it should be played.
“Footballers have ups and downs in their careers, especially as young lads. He has come on the scene and he was fantastic.
"Optimism, brilliance, scoring goals and just being a very good player around the place. He has had his downside.
"That downside has probably 18 months, touching two years for him to have that spurt back. That is a long time."
Maurice Newman has been raising vital funds for the Great Ormond Street Hospital for over 50 years. Click HERE to donate.
