Dele Alli revealed he has held talks with Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino aimed at keeping his temper in check on the pitch, reports the London Evening Standard.

Alli's disciplinary record has improved greatly this season — he has collected five bookings in 2016-17, compared with 10 at the same stage of last term — but his red card against Gent last month proved there is still work to do.

"He knows who I am and that I am not going to change, no matter what," said Alli, speaking in detail for the first time about his low point of the season.

"We have had a few talks and he has been really supportive. It is nice to have a manager behind me who backs me and trusts me as much as he does.

"I am still young. I am 20, and there are going to be a lot of ups and downs in football. That is the way it is. But it is important that if things don't go my way, I learn from them and keep improving.

"I think I have definitely calmed down a bit this season but I am never going to take that [aggression] away from my game. I am never going to say sorry for wanting to win and for trying as hard as I can. Sometimes things happen and you have to learn from them but I always want to win.

"There have been so many things to learn from this season for me, as there were last season. Everyone makes mistakes and it is important you bounce back.

"I felt horrible straight after the red card against Gent but it was important I put it behind me and kept improving."