Former Tottenham star Dele Alli has admitted that he has not delivered for Besiktas amid scathing criticism from his own manager who claimed that he did not "deserve to play".
The Everton man penned a loan deal with the Turkish giants at the start of the campaign having endured a miserable spell at Goodison Park. His career continues to stall though with a string of unconvincing performances.
He has made 14 appearances for Besiktas so far, scoring just three goals in all competitions. The midfielder has regularly been left on the bench by manager Senol Gunes having been told that he was not deserving of a starting berth in the side.
Speaking earlier this month, he said: "Dele Alli has had a good career. But he doesn't deserve to play at the moment. The current situation has not met our expectations as a team.
"We expect him to contribute to the team, but we think he cannot contribute at the moment. We will evaluate it with him and the club. We prepared for the matches with the players here."
The midfielder responded in the best possible way over the weekend as he scored in a 3-0 victory over Alanyaspor on Friday evening, the first time he has found the back of the net since November. Speaking to Fotomac after scoring, Alli admitted that his performances have not been up to the standard required but was happy to have contributed.
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He said: "I'm happy to score a goal and get three points. We showed a strong performance in front of our fans.
"I may not have been able to deliver what was expected until now, but this match was an opportunity. I will try to contribute to the team as much as I can."
Alli will next have his opportunity to impress for the Turkish side next week as they take on Fatih Karagumruk away from home. As it stands, Besiktas sit eight points off the pace in the race for the league title.
Come the end of his loan spell, the midfielder is expected to return to Everton where he will have just a year remaining on his current contract. Besiktas have an option to buy him outright come the end of the deal but look unlikely to activate that.
It remains to be seen if he has a future on Merseyside having failed to convince as an Everton player so far. Since arriving from Spurs, the 37-time England international made just 13 appearances for the club, failing to score a single goal.
He will return to Everton under the stewardship of a new manager with Frank Lampard having been sacked following a woeful start to the new campaign. Former Burnley boss Sean Dyche is expected to be named as his successor and will hope to steer the club away from the threat of relegation.
