Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino has said that there is no doubt about Dele Alli's ability as a player after his performance against Southampton on Boxing Day.
The 21-year-old, who scored a goal and assisted two others as Spurs put five past the Saints, gave a solid performance that signalled an upturn in form for the North London club.
Pochettino's side have suffered a mixed patch of form recently, losing 4-1 to Premier League leaders Manchester City before defeating Stoke City, Brighton & Hove Albion and Burnley comfortably.
Alli, who had failed to impress during Spurs' poor form, needed time to "breathe", according to Pochettino.
"He was good [against Southampton] and has started to improve in the last few games," the Argentine told reporters. "We are starting to recognise him as the player who achieved so much over the last two seasons.
"For me, there is no doubt about his quality or potential. Because he is a young player, sometimes he needs to breathe, to take some time to perform in the same way.
"From day one when he started to play at Tottenham, no young player has achieved as much. Not Cristiano Ronaldo, Frank Lampard, Wayne Rooney. They are great players and he achieves more than those big names."
Tottenham play bottom club Swansea City in their next match, before hosting West Ham United.
Jonny Whitfield
