Dele Alli has lauded the management skills of Paris Saint-Germain boss and former Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino, also giving an update on how he plans to start featuring more regularly for Spurs.
The England international hasn't been named in a Spurs Premier League starting XI since his side's opening day defeat to Everton - a game in which he was hooked at half-time - with the majority of his minutes coming in the Europa League.
Alli was linked with a move to PSG in January, with a reunion with former boss Pochettino on the cards. However, Mourinho refused to allow Alli to leave north London.
Alli has now lauded the management style of former boss Pochettino. "I was very lucky to have a manager like Pochettino - he was an unbelievable guy and very experienced," he said, as reported by The Sun.
"He would pull me in if I was doing dumb stuff and speak with me. Not like a dad - but that sort of vibe.”
Regarding his current lack of minutes, he added: “I’m looking to sort this situation out and get back to playing as much as I can.”
Is anyone else getting 'I hate my step-dad, he's not my real dad' kinda vibes here?
Mourinho was recently asked about Alli's situation at the club, with the Spurs boss insisting that dealing with unhappy players is a facet of the game every manager is forced to contend with.
“In every dressing room there are unhappy players,” he said. “For sure. If any one of us, of my tribe, tells you that in his dressing room are only happy players, I don’t think it’s true. Or somebody is so, so lucky to have a miracle on his hands."
He went on to add that some players will train harder to earn their place in the team while others will refuse to put in any extra effort - decide for yourself who he was referring to there.
"Then you can have [an] unhappy professional and the unhappy professional is the one that is unhappy but feels that his duty is to work, work, work and work," he added.
"And there is the unhappy player that believes that it’s not his job to fight and to work every minute for the squad and for the club.”
Source : 90min