Former Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Jamie O’Hara spoke to TalkSport about Dele Alli’s omission from Jose Mourinho’s squad.
The Englishman has featured for just 105 minutes in all competitions so far this season. Multiple reports have emerged claiming that Mourinho is done with Alli, and a move away is a possibility in this window.
The 24-year-old is in a complicated phase of his career. Alli is a role model to many youngsters, considering how he took the Premier League league by storm after his move from MK Dons in 2015.
The Englishman has played over 200 games for Spurs already, scoring 62 goals and providing 55 assists in all competitions. That is an excellent record for someone who is still 24.
However, Alli’s discipline is proving to be a huge issue for Mourinho, who has decided to punish him. O’Hara claims that Harry Redknapp did the same to him years ago, and him not taking the ex-Spurs boss’s advice all but ruined his career at the top level.
He said: “At the moment he looks like he wants to enjoy the life a bit too much, and he’s only a young guy. It’s a short career and you’re a fantastic talent, don’t waste it. Harry Redknapp did the same thing to me, he bombed me out of the squad and tried to teach me a lesson, but I didn’t learn my lesson and I ended up filtering away.”
“The same thing will happen to Dele Alli if he doesn’t listen. What he doesn’t realise is that they’re actually trying to help him, they’re trying to give him advice because they know the talent is there in the player.”
“If he does the right things he still has a massive future at Tottenham Hotspur. But don’t be a Jamie O’Hara, who doesn’t listen to the advice given to him from people who are experienced in the game and then filters and falls away.”
Alli is a fantastic talent who could go on to become one of the best players in Tottenham’s history. However, he will have to do a lot to convince Mourinho that he has changed and that will not be easy.
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