Dele Alli will be gradually “edged out” of the Tottenham picture by Jose Mourinho, according to Jermaine Jenas.
On Friday we relayed word from Mourinho that Alli will miss Sunday’s north London derby against Arsenal with an ongoing hamstring problem. Injuries have blighted Alli’s career over the last couple of years, though he showed promising signs of improvement when Mourinho first arrived at the club.
However, his form soon began to fade and, like his teammates, the England international looked far from sharp when the Premier League recommenced last month. He missed the draw with Manchester United through suspension and has been sidelined for recent disappointing results after hurting his hamstring in training.
Appearing on BBC Radio 5live, Jenas – who also struggled with injuries during his career – revealed he doesn’t expect Alli’s fortunes to improve in the near future.
“Dele, he’s struggled by the looks of it. That’s the key one I look at in terms of the way it’s gone,” Jenas said (as relayed by the London Evening Standard).
“If you think of the way he arrived, Jose, the smiles, the ‘have I been watching Dele’s brother’. All of a sudden Dele’s scoring goals and it’s all looking good.
“And then, we’ve not seen Dele. We’ve not seen that Dele for weeks, months. And I get the feeling that he will slowly edge him out from what I’m seeing.
“That’s an indication of things going a little bit sour.”
Spurs fans, Mourinho and Alli himself will be desperate for the 24-year-old to get fit again and replicate his form of old. Only time will tell whether that’s realistic.