Spursex
Alert Team
Alli really is a frustration. We all know what he is, or was, capable of, but as you rightly say we haven't really seen it for three years, other than a brief resurgence when Mourinho first arrived, which petered out very quickly. Sure he has had a lot of injury problems, but Alli as we knew him when he won PFA Young Player of the Year twice running as I recall, seems an increasingly distant memory.
I've been saying for quite some time that he probably needs a completely new environment to resurrect his career and rediscover the motivation he seems to have lost with us. Reluctantly, the time has come to move him on.
His last good season was two season ago - then the injuries/the soft tissues ones really kicked in, it's slowed him, his stride pattern has changed as he's filled out and that for a short period has made him look even awkward at times - he can recover, but it's not easy. I was speaking with one of our physio's not so long ago who was of the opinion he had a 'long hard physical struggle to get back to his best, and may well end up our Wilshere' - sadly, that's what playing high tempo intense football can do if you're over-played too young.
He'll be back, but how long it takes him back to his best, is anyone's guess.