Alli was missing for Tottenham due to injury, insists Mourinho

Jose Mourinho has clarified Dele Alli was only left out of the Tottenham squad against Sheffield United due to injury.

The absence of Alli from the matchday squad in Spurs’ 3-1 away Premier League win last Sunday was another talking point in a turbulent season for the attacking midfielder.

Alli has only started one Premier League game this season and has been linked with a move away from Spurs, with Paris Saint-Germain a mooted destination.

Mourinho insisted a tendon injury was the reason Alli was left out and listed him among the injury doubts for Monday’s FA Cup fourth-round tie at Wycombe Wanderers.

“The reason he did not play or was not selected for Sheffield is everything in relation to the injury that he has,” Mourinho told reporters when asked about Alli.

“It’s not an injury that will keep him out for weeks and weeks like Giovani Lo Celso.

“But is an injury that doesn’t allow him to train fully with the team and like in the last couple of days, no chance for him even to train. So that’s the situation for now.

“The injuries that have no doubts about playing or not playing is still Gio, who will be a couple more weeks. We have two or three players who have small injuries.

“Matt Doherty, who was not involved at Sheffield [is a doubt], Dele Alli has not been training in recent days with small problem in the tendon but not sure that he can [play], and Serge Aurier, not really well. 

“We still have three days before the match though and the only one I can say is out is Gio.”

The year ends in 1.

Another chapter in our famous history could be written on Monday.#WYCvTOT pic.twitter.com/NoijfSXjdG

— Wycombe Wanderers (@wwfcofficial) January 22, 2021

Mourinho recently praised the turnaround in midfielder Tanguy Ndombele’s Tottenham career, hailing his attitude.

But he insisted that should not have been perceived as a direct comparison with Alli ahead of what he expects to be a tough test against Championship outfit Wycombe.

Mourinho said: “I don’t like to go in that direction, I was speaking specifically about Tanguy. 

“I didn’t want to accept any responsibility in the change. That’s the way I look at things. We are an external source of motivation. The real source is the player himself. 

“I was speaking of course in a very happy way about the Tanguy transformation and the way he is playing.

“With all the respect to Marine [in the last round], Wycombe is a different level, is a more difficult challenge. What we did well against Marine is not enough to win against Wycombe. 

“They are fully professionals, they are talented people, they have ambitions. We need more than we gave against Marine. 

“With all the professionalism the boys behaved there, but we need more because the game is going to be more difficult.”

After facing Wycombe, Tottenham have a huge Premier League match at home to champions Liverpool on Thursday.