Paul Ince believes that inconsistency in Tottenham midfielder Dele Alli is totally normal at his age and urged people to remember he is still a youngster.
The 21-year-old has come in for some criticism at times this campaign for his performances and many fans feel is failing to hit the heights of last season.
He completed 90 minutes on Saturday as Spurs slipped to a disappointing 1-1 home draw against West Brom in the Premier League.
Salomon Rondon had given the visitors a surprise lead early in the game, but Alli assisted teammate Harry Kane to score a vital equaliser in the second-half.
Mauricio Pochettino decided to use Alli in a central midfield role at the weekend as he showed his versatility in the team.
The England international has usually played a playmaker role in a more advanced position, but made a name for himself as a goalscoring midfielder.
BT pundit Ince feels that Alli still has a lot to learn in his game, but insists criticism surrounding him is unfair at the moment.
“I had him at MK Dons as a 14-year-old kid, he’s a very talented kid his rise to fame has come very quickly, but he’s still only 21 years of age,” Ince said on BT Sport Score.
“He has still got a lot to learn. Last year he was phenomenal, people might say the talk about going to Real Madrid and changing agents, I think there is a lot going on outside of football in Dele Alli’s life at the moment. You’re going to get inconsistency with people so young.”
OPINION
Alli is not quite at the levels of seasons gone by, but he has still been an influential player for Spurs so far this campaign. The creative midfielder has made 16 appearances across all competitions, scoring seven goals and supplying four assists in return. He has continued to chip in with vital contributions for his team despite not producing as many sparkling individual displays. Pochettino knows how important Alli is to the way that Spurs plays and he is still on course to smash 15-plus goals once again this season. The England international has such high pressure on his shoulders now, but that should only make him a better player in the long run.