Dele Alli: 'Mauricio Pochettino didn't like me at first'

Dele Alli has revealed that manager Mauricio Pochettino 'did not like him' when he first joined Tottenham Hotspur from MK Dons in 2015.

The England international has made a huge impact during his two-and-a-half-year spell in North London, netting 30 goals in the Premier League alone.

Pochettino was not always a fan of the 21-year-old, however, with Alli having to win over his manager in the early days upon arriving as a relative unknown.

In a Daily Mail serialisation of new book Brave New World, the midfielder said: "When I signed for Spurs in 2015, I came to have a look around the training ground, but I think [Pochettino] was in Spain.

"I didn't see him till I came back for pre-season. It was really hard and I didn't know what he thought of me. The first proper one-on-one was with Jesus [Perez, Pochettino's assistant].

"They were speaking in Spanish and then Jesus said to me: 'He didn't like you...' or similar. The boss was staring me in the eye to see how I reacted. I was speechless! [Perez] paused for like a second, and he said '...but now he loves you.'"

Alli has featured nine times for Tottenham in all competitions so far this season, playing a part in four goals overall.