Sir Alex Ferguson once advised Jose Mourinho to sign Dele Alli and it's now clear the Portuguese was right to ignore his recommendation.
The 25-year-old was omitted from the Tottenham squad to face Chelsea at the weekend and with yet another low point during his time in the capital, it looks like his time with Antonio Conte's side is up.
The former MK Dons midfielder ranked highly in the United icon's estimations.
Speaking to Gary Neville in 2021, Ferguson couldn't understand where it had gone wrong for the former England international.
“I thought Dele Alli was going to be a top player, I must admit," he said in a SportBible video.
“I don’t know what’s happened there."
Mourinho said on Tottenham's Amazon documentary 'All or Nothing': " Sir Alex Ferguson gave me only one bit of advice in two-and-a-half years: Buy Dele Alli. 'That guy, with that mentality, the way he plays, the aggression he has in mind. This guy is the Manchester United player. Buy Dele Alli'.
"And he [Ferguson] has an eye for a player. But he [Alli] is not a good trainer, we need to find motivation for the guy."
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Mourinho had the opportunity to use Alli during his stint with Spurs and had arguably his best return under the Portuguese tactician.
In 51 appearances, he scored and provided 10 goals but in his final season under the former Reds boss, he struggled through lack of form and injuries which saw his involvement limited - which has become a running feature of his time in North London.
Newcastle have reportedly registered interest in his services as they seek Premier League safety and perhaps one day the playmaker can live up to Sir Alex's lofty praise with the right move.
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