Dele Alli's downfall: Labelled 'lazy' by Jose Mourinho, off the field issues, and now hauled off at half-time in the Europa League with his Spurs future hanging by a thread... where has it gone wrong for the former MK Dons wonderkid?

Daily Mail | October 30, 2020

It was a classic piece of Jose Mourinho kidology.

Imagine the mischief in his eyes when, during his first training session as manager of Tottenham Hotspur, he marched up to Dele Alli and said: 'Are you Dele or Dele's brother?'

Alli: 'I'm Dele'.

Mourinho: 'Ok… then play like Dele.'

And for a desperately short while, Dele Alli did play like Dele Alli. Four goals and three assists in Mourinho's first five matches in charge.

Jose Mourinho challenged Dele Alli to start playing like Dele Alli when he first came to Spurs

But the England midfielder's career continues to decline and has now reached a fresh low

It's remarkable to think that purple patch wasn't even 12 months ago.