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.
Daniel Lewis
