Spurs v Man City: £5m talent will surely fancy his chances of starting on Sunday

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Spurs midfielder Dele Alli will surely fancy his chances of starting for Tottenham against Manchester City on Sunday.

The 25-year-old endured a difficult season last time out, falling out of the Spurs XI and out of England contention.

Alli struggled for game time under former Spurs boss Jose Mourinho and was reportedly close to moving to PSG on loan in January.

He also dropped out of Three Lions contention, with Gareth Southgate omitting him from his last few squads and for Euro 2020.

It was a shame to see the £5million man fail to hit the heights he previously reached in Lilywhite and become a fringe player last term.

Hoddle on Alli: “There’s a player in there waiting to come back out again”

Tottenham icon Glenn Hoddle gave Alli some constructive criticism earlier this year.

“There’s a lot ahead of him,” he said on the Glenn Hoddle Footy Podcast.

“For me, he’s got to get his head down in the summer, there’s a player in there waiting to come back out again, for whatever reason, we don’t know, but he’s nowhere near the player he was a couple of years ago.

“He’s got to retain the ball better, and he’s doing that now.”

And Alli has clearly been working hard in pre-season to get back to the levels he’s capable of reaching.

Two weeks ago, Alasdair Gold said on his YouTube channel that the playmaker reported back to Tottenham in great shape.

And Alli has impressed on the pitch too, with plenty of fans hailing his efforts in the friendly win over Arsenal.

Alli will hopefully shine for Spurs this season

Nuno Espirito Santo has been using Alli as one of his three central midfielders in a 4-3-3 formation.

He’s also been given licence to push on and attack when Spurs are in possession.

Alli initially struggled to get to grips with this new box-to-box midfield role but things finally clicked against Arsenal to great effect.

He linked up well with the front line, put himself about in the middle of the park, and could’ve easily got a goal or two.

Alli has clearly worked hard in pre-season, which bodes well for the season to come.

He’s more than worthy of a spot in the Spurs starting XI when Manchester City come to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this weekend.

“An in-form Dele would feel like a new signing for Spurs”

Indeed, former Spurs ace Danny Murphy sees Alli as one of the players to watch in the Premier League this term.

“What’s not in doubt is Dele’s wonderful ability and we all want to see him rediscover the energy and confidence that saw him burst onto the scene under Mauricio Pochettino and become an England World Cup star,” he wrote in the Daily Mail.

“For whatever reason, the last couple of years have been tough for him but a change at the top can be like a new lease of life for some players and an in-form Dele would feel like a new signing for Spurs.

“If he needs inspiration, he only needs to look at his former England team-mate Jesse Lingard who also suffered a hangover after Russia but exploded back into life at West Ham at the end of last season.

“The talent doesn’t leave you and there is no reason Dele shouldn’t return to his creative best and also get back into international contention.”