Tottenham's next manager has been told how to get the best out of midfielder Dele Alli.
Spurs are still looking for their permanent Jose Mourinho replacement having put Ryan Mason in place until the end of the season, though whoever does come in will have the task of getting Alli back to his best.
The midfielder has featured sparingly for Tottenham this season after falling out with Mourinho, but he got a start in Wednesday night's home defeat to Aston Villa.
And despite a quiet outing on Wednesday night, Richards believes Alli can get back to his best, as long as the next manager to take over at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium takes the right approach.
“He needs to be nurtured," said Richards ahead of the game on Sky Sports. "You don’t become a bad player overnight. What did he score, 16 or 17 goals in one of his earlier seasons? He’s got absolutely everything.
"As a young player, sometimes you lose your focus, sometimes you get a little bit ahead of yourselves and sometimes a manager doesn’t fancy you.
"I have no doubt there’s quality in there, but they need to get him on the pitch first and once he’s on the pitch, he can show what he can do.
"I don’t buy into the fact that he’s not good enough anymore, that’s absolute nonsense. When he first came on the scene, everyone was like, ‘wow’.”
Alli has started just six times in the Premier League for Tottenham this season, making 14 appearances overall, managing one assist and no goals.
The 25-year-old has a contract until 2024, but he has been linked with exits in the past, including the January transfer window when PSG were reportedly interested in a move.
