Pochettino urges Hodgson not to rush Alli call

Mark Holmes
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Tottenham head coach Mauricio Pochettino believes Roy Hodgson should think long and hard about including Dele Alli in his next England squad.

Alli, who left MK Dons in the summer, has been a revelation this season, forcing his way into Pochettino’s starting line-up with a series of sparkling displays.

Hodgson watched the 19-year-old play 90 minutes in Tottenham’s 1-0 win over Crystal Palace last Sunday and is believed to be considering the midfielder for matches against Estonia and Lithuania next month.

Harry Kane, Ryan Mason and Danny Rose have all received debut call-ups under Pochettino’s guidance, but the Argentine has warned against rushing Alli to follow suit.

“It’s the same situation as last season with Harry Kane,” Pochettino said.

“Be careful with the younger players, the players who arrive in the Premier League and perform well. It’s not easy.

“But again, like last season, it’s not my decision. It’s Roy Hodgson’s decision if he wants to call up Dele Alli.

“You can see he’s a player that is very mature and shows great quality, but always in football it’s step by step and we need to be careful.

“He will mature. He has personality and good character. But it is too much of a rush to talk about bigger steps for him.”