Dele Alli's former manager once pinned the fallen star to the wall after 'losing it with him' during a heated dressing room exchange.
Alli, 26, was regarded as one of the best young footballers in Europe, yet he is now battling to revive his career after a difficult few years at club level. The England international is currently on loan at Turkish side Besiktas but a permanent transfer is not expected.
Alli has been criticised for failing to live up to his billing, but Karl Robinson - who managed him at boyhood club MK Dons - believes he is just misunderstood. Robinson illustrated his point by recalling a famous row with the misfiring midfielder at Stadium MK.
"If you look at the data, he’s one of the hardest-working, highest distance-covered players playing," Robinson told talkSPORT when asked about Alli. "I think that his persona can sometimes look flippant. He can look laboured, but he always had that.
"I remember pinning him up against the wall at times. I remember him being dragged [into] a dressing room once by a senior player because he had this look on his face which was a smirk - I lost it with him and a senior player lost it with him as well.
"He wasn’t smirking, it was just him. I remember speaking to him after and he said, 'Gaffer, I wasn’t trying to be rude or disrespectful.' When you listen to him you go, 'Oh, okay, I get you a little bit more.' The more you’re with him and the more time you spend with him, the more you understand him and the more he is a kind and caring human being."
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Alli came through the ranks at MK Dons before joining Tottenham in the summer 2015. He made an immediate impact at White Hart Lane, scoring 32 goals during his first two campaigns to win back-to-back PFA Young Player of the Year awards.
Alli's form helped Tottenham finish second in the Premier League during the 2016/17 term and reach the Champions League final two years later - losing 2-0 to Liverpool. He also represented his country at Euro 2016 in France and the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
Yet Alli struggled for form after Tottenham replaced manager Mauricio Pochettino with Jose Mourinho in November 2019. He scored just one Premier League goal during his last 18 months at Spurs and was granted a free transfer to Everton in January 2022.
Alli's move to Goodison Park did not go to plan, as he failed to score from his first 13 games. It is believed the deal includes £40million in add-ons, with the first £10m owed after 20 outings. As such, Everton cut their loses and sent Alli on loan to Besiktas last summer.
Alli has scored just two goals in 13 league games since his temporary switch to Turkey. He was reportedly banished from the squad after falling out of favour with Besiktas boss Senol Gunes, yet it is believed these rumours were untrue.
Alli has not played since the rumours emerged, but he wrote on Instagram, "Hey guys just had loads of messages so wanted to clear something up. The club gave me permission to attend a doctor's appointment today. I'm due back in training tomorrow as normal."
