Tottenham Hotspur’s Dele Alli will be hoping to be part of England’s Euro 2020 squad next summer, with Chelsea trio Tammy Abraham, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Mason Mount also hoping to book their seats.
Graeme Souness has used Tottenham duo Dele Alli and Eric Dier to warn Chelsea trio Tammy Abraham, Mason Mount and Callum Hudson-Odoi about how badly things can go wrong down the line.
The Sky Sports pundit has suggested that a few years ago, both Spurs duo Alli and Dier were tipped to be England starts for the next 10 years, but they have now ‘stagnated’ in their careers.
Chelsea, who are currently serving a transfer ban, have enjoyed a strong start to the season, with a number of their academy players, including the above trio, enjoying great success under Frank Lampard.
But speaking to Virgin Media Sport, Souness did warn that whilst the likes of Abraham, Mount and Hudson-Odoi are proving their worth now, they just need to look towards North London to see that things can go wrong pretty quickly.
“They have come in and they have shown that they can deal with this level and play at this level,” Souness told Virgin Media Sport. “Tammy Abraham, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Mason Mount. These are three talented young men, who should only get better and better. You can only play them if they are good enough.
“They have proven so far that they can handle this football. The big danger, and a couple of years ago we were talking about Dele Alli and Dier being England regulars for the next 10 years. Superstars. Both of them have stagnated. Is it a case of too much too soon [with these Chelsea players?]
“It is very hard to turn around right now and say those three players are going to be stars for Chelsa for the next generation. We just don’t know. It’s how they deal with it. Who they learn from and who they listen to – if they think they have [already] arrived then they won’t.”
Dier can no longer get back into Tottenham’s team, whilst Alli, who has struggled during these past 12 or so months, is beginning to show signs that he can get back to his best.
He scored for Spurs against Watford in the Premier League last time out, and with more minutes under his belt in Europe, he is improving.
But he was left out of England’s recent Euro 2020 qualifiers, whilst both Abraham and Mount were selected by Gareth Southgate and Hudson-Odoi was with the U21’s to boost up his fitness.
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