Dele desperate to win back England place
DELE ALLI won Jose Mourinho’s heart at the weekend. Now he wants to recapture England manager Gareth Southgate’s. The 23-year-old Tottenham midfielder produced his best display of the season in Mourinho’s first game in charge, Saturday’s 3-2 win at West Ham, after the Portuguese had challenged him to reproduce the form that made him one of the most coveted players in Europe. Alli insists he has been satisfied with his performances but the fact Southgate has left him out of the last two squads suggests he has not been playing at his usual high standards. ‘I want to be in the England squad,’ said Alli. ‘For every player who gets picked it is a huge honour and I have to do everything I can. ‘I can’t blame Gareth or the coaches. You have to keep working hard to make sure they don’t have an option to leave me out. I started the season slowly after an injury in pre-season but I’ve been working hard. When I came back I felt strong and I’m trying to get back to, not where I was two years ago, but better than that. ‘I’ve had a lot of criticism but playing in the Premier League you expect that when you are not performing.’ Alli has spoken of his heartache at the departure of Mauricio Pochettino. The Argentine has been a huge influence on the Tottenham star and Alli visited him at his house after he was sacked. Alli said: ‘Being here for nearly five years he has seen me grow as a person. I came here as an 18-year-old and I’ve been through a lot of ups and downs but he’s helped me through it all. ‘I felt it was important as soon as I saw the news to get in contact. I was very upset and the next day I went to see him. It was just a conversation between two friends. I’ve seen him more than I see my own family in the last five years, so it was very tough.’