Dele Alli and Mauricio Pochettino reunited in a healthy moment ahead of Chelsea’s showdown with Everton.
Everton player Alli is injured for the clash and is a special guest on Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football coverage with the pre-match build-up seeing him exchange pleasantries with an old friend.
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Alli worked under Pochettino at Tottenham in a period which saw the club challenge for the Premier League title and reach the Champions League final.
It’s been over four years since the pair worked together, however, it’s clear there’s still love between them, with Alli gushing over Pochettino’s glowing assessment of him.
Pochettino told the studio: “Good evening, I knew that… because I was in my manager’s room watching your interview with him with Dele.
“And look, I need to talk now. I can’t see you right now but I want to say hello to Dele. What a player, oh my God! Oh, my God.
“I’m so happy to see you there and so happy to see you all.”
Alli has previously spoken about his love for Pochettino, calling the Argentine the best manager he has ever worked with.
It was Pochettino who propelled Alli into the Spurs first team at the age of 19, with his stunning form helping him win the PFA Young Player of the Year award in 2016 and 2017.
Alli: “Mauricio Pochettino was the best manager and I couldn’t have asked for a better manager at the time.
“It wasn’t like a relationship between a footballer and a manager. It was deeper than that, I felt.
“He understood so much of the decisions I was making and he guided me – he cared about me as a person before football, that’s what I needed at that time. And I think that’s important for young players.”
Earlier in the show, Alli gave an update on how he is following his groundbreaking interview with Gary Neville and spoke about a potential return to action with the Toffees.
Everton could need all the help they can get as they remain embroiled in a relegation battle with Sean Dyche’s side just two points above the bottom three before kick-off.
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Alli’s final career appearance came last season during his loan spell at Turkish club Besiktas.
He last played in the Premier League in August 2022 after joining Everton from Tottenham earlier that year.
