Frank Lampard believes Dele Alli has a point to prove at Everton and insists the midfielder’s appetite for the game is not in question.
The 25-year-old has not started for Lampard’s relegation-threatened team since his deadline-day move from Tottenham, making six appearances from the bench. Alli’s minimal impact, after the sharp decline in his Spurs career, prompted Stan Collymore to suggest the former England international should considering retiring if he has lost hunger.
Lampard has taken issue with Collymore’s criticism but accepts Alli needs to prove his detractors wrong over the final two months of the season. The Everton manager said: “I saw those comments and it is important to broach them because I know Stan a little bit and he had difficulties which he has been open about in his career. I understand where he is coming from on his own front, but to speak about someone you do not know or put them in the same bracket was a bit much.
Relegation zone
“From my point of view I have the familiarity of working with Dele every day and I do not see a player who wants to retire at that age. That is a strong comment. What I do see – and people can put it that way – is he has a lot to prove. The basics are that when you have a lot to prove you have to get your head down, listen and prove people wrong on the pitch. That starts on the training pitch.”
Lampard admits Everton’s desperate need to pull clear of the relegation zone, combined with Alli’s lack of match sharpness when he arrived, has complicated the midfielder’s start.
“People were talking about Dele as one of the top young players in the world, let’s be honest,” he said. “He has been eligible to play seven league games. I always believed it would take some time. Dele has to train and show he is in that thinking, and every time he comes on he has to show he is worthy of starting a game.”
