Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Dele Alli is yet to reach his full potential, according to his former manager Karl Robinson.
Robinson was in charge at MK Dons when Alli made his breakthrough in senior football, making 88 appearances for the club before joining Spurs for around £5m in 2015.
The midfielder adapted quickly to life in the Premier League, scoring 28 goals in his first two full seasons in the top flight, but he has suffered a dip in form recently and has subsequently dropped out of the England setup as a result.
However, Alli is still only 23 years old and Robinson is confident that the best is still to come from 37-time England international.
"Dele was a talented individual and very free with what he did on a football pitch. It was like watching a young player watching five-a-side anywhere across the country," he told Sky Sports News.
"What people don't realise is that he's one of the nicest young people that you will meet. He's a tremendous young man. If you speak to anyone that has worked with him, managed him, they will tell you what a nice person he was.
"He has not reached his potential yet. There is a lot more to come. His age tells you that and the experiences he has gone through over the last year will maybe make him a better player. In the short term it might be difficult, but when you know what type of character he is you know he will relish whatever is put in front of him.
"He has a wonderful support mechanism and that is important. The way he goes about his life is the way I think footballers should be. The older he gets and the higher up the football pyramid he goes, there's a structure to the game he needs to fall into, that will allow his talent to get to the forefront."
Since joining Spurs Alli has made 219 appearances across all competitions, scoring 62 goals and creating 54 more.
Barney Corkhill
