Football has always had a predisposition to project itself into the future. Unearthing the next big thing perennially fascinates. Until it is found, that is. Then the topic switches to what it may become. At times, it seems like young players exist in a different dimension, forever waiting for time to stop so they can catch up with their contemporaries.
Had John Logie Baird shown a prototype of the first television to a football pundit, they would probably have told him they are looking forward to seeing a Blu-ray player.
The most interesting thing about Dele Alli is not the player he might become tomorrow but the player he is today.