Former Tottenham chief David Pleat is delighted to see Dele Alli fulfilling his potential.

Pleat drove Spurs' deal for the midfielder when he was with MK Dons.

He wrote for the Daily Mail: "Recently I have found it fascinating to revisit my reports of this young man and see how regular games playing in league football at such a young age for MK Dons improved his game and supported my view that we should bring him to Spurs.

"On his Football League debut against Coventry in League One on December 29, 2012, I wrote: 'He looked nervous but at only 17 he has a lovely build and has a potential that we must follow.

"'In this game he played in a midfield twosome with Darren Potter and Alan Smith — the former Leeds and Manchester United striker — played just ahead of them to form a triangle. Sadly, the Dons lost 3-2.'

"Over the subsequent months I watched Alli develop. My reports would usually be submitted to Tottenham on a piece of A4 paper, dated, handwritten and signed at the bottom. There would occasionally be verbal feedback too."