Dele Alli made just his fifth Premier League start of the season in Tottenham Hotspur’s 2-0 win over Wolves on Sunday, having regained his place in the team after Jose Mourinho was sacked.
The 25-year-old impressed against Wolves and Graeme Souness and Jamie Redknapp want to see him get back to his best next season.
Speaking on Sky Sports, Redknapp said: “Jose seems to want to fall out with a lot of his players but he [Dele Alli] is a quality player.
“He averages nearly one in three [goals] every game. If you can’t get him into the team – and we’ve seen this with Gareth Bale since Jose’s gone. This is a manager who has won everything. You can’t keep falling out with your players.
“The reason is he likes to look at everyone else rather than himself. It’s a fact, one in three he gets and why would you not want to utilise that?”
To which Souness replied: “I’m not doubting his qualities, I’d love him to sit here and answer our questions.
“I think from the outside looking in it’s a classic case of too much too soon, too much stardom too soon and too much of everything too soon and he’s dropped into an armchair.
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“Please God, for him and Tottenham’s sake he gets back to what he was three years ago.”
Redknapp then added: “I don’t disagree with that, I’m a big fan but he can do more and he should look at this season and think ‘where can I go from here’ because he’s too good a player not to be in the squad.
“I know that Jose will fall out with his players but he’s also got to look at himself.
“He’s got tremendous ability but he’s got to come back next season and, no disrespect, ram it down the likes of Graeme’s throat and say ‘I can do this’ because his numbers are too good.
“One in three from an attacking midfield player; I think it is probably Frank Lampard and [Steven] Gerrard who have got better than that.”
“There is a player trapped in that body,” Souness concluded. “Show us. Prove us all wrong.”
