OUT OF THIS WORLD... TO OUT IN THE COLD

Alli is a far cry from the star who shone for England in 2018 – now he needs a new start

BACK in the summer of 2018, Dele Alli went to the World Cup as one of England’s biggest stars.

Four years on, and with the next World Cup approaching, Alli is not on the international radar.

The Tottenham midfielder’s fall from stardom is as alarming as it is depressing.

Alli finds himself stuck in limbo. A brilliantly gifted player, courted by Manchester United and admired by Sir Alex Ferguson (right), he is no longer wanted by Antonio Conte.

Sunday was exactly six years since Alli’s wondergoal helped Spurs to victory at Crystal Palace. Now he cannot get in the squad.

Spurs are open to offers and the ideal scenario would be a loan move to get him playing again and a chance to boost his confidence. It is hard to see any suitable clubs willing to make an offer to sign him permanently because, as Jose Mourinho said in the Amazon documentary All Or Nothing, will they be signing Dele or his brother?

Alli was eye-catching with his style of play, goals, assists and poster-boy good looks – attributes that saw him valued in the £100million bracket. It is incredible to think he is still only 25. He signed for MK Dons and won 2015-16 and 201617 PFA Young Player of the Year, became a superstar under Mauricio Pochettino and broke into the Three Lions team.

Fergie admired his “aggression” and urged Mourinho to sign him for Manchester United, while the likes of Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain were big-name suitors.

Alli scored in the World Cup quarter-final win over Sweden. But it was after the 2018 finals that things began to unravel. He signed a £100,000-a-week, six-year contract in October 2018, as Spurs ensured they tied down one of English football’s best prospects.

But since then, Alli’s drop in fortunes has been nothing short of remarkable.

Injuries have not helped, but his relationship with Pochettino was cooling even by the time the Argentine boss was sacked in 2019.

Pochettino voiced frustrations about Alli’s fitness amid talk about gaming sessions keeping him up into the small hours.

In came Mourinho, but it is too easy to say he is to blame for Alli’s demise.

For the first game of the 2020/21 season – Mourinho’s first full campaign in charge – Alli started in the No.10 role. He was given a proper chance and yet was substituted at half-time.

No one can say Mourinho did not try. It was the same with Nuno Espirito Santo. Alli started under him, but lost his place after being hooked at half-time as Spurs lost their sixth game of the season at Arsenal. Losing his place under Pochettino, Mourinho, Nuno and now Conte may tell its own story.

Incredibly, Alli’s last goal in the Premier League from open play came in January 2020 against Norwich. That from a player who hit 23 goals in all competitions in the 2016/17 season.

You could point to the contract, as players can switch off after big deals.

Or injuries. Even leaving his experienced agent Rob Segal, who helped steer him to stardom, may have had an effect. Sometimes hard truths are difficult to hear.

But ex-Spurs boss David Pleat will passionately defend him in conversation and former MK Dons manager Karl Robinson talked of Alli doing things with a football no other young player could do.

The talent is still there, but it seems he needs a reboot.