Jose Mourinho ‘really happy’ with ‘motivated’ Dele Alli after starring role in Tottenham Hotspur win

Tottenham manager Jose Mourinho says he is “really happy” with Dele Alli after he played a starring role in a 4-0 thrashing of Wolfsberger Fc in the Europa League.

Alli scored a brilliant overhead-kick and also set up two goals as Spurs eased into the last 16 with an 8-1 aggregate win

England international Alli has been out of favour this season and came close to leaving the club in January, but impressed Mourinho with his all-round display and “motivation” against Wolfsberger Fc.

“We had a difficult period, he had an injury and at the same time talk, talk, talk about staying or leaving. The market closed, the injury went and he started working with motivation,” Spurs boss Mourinho told BT Sport.

“He is playing very well, I am not saying in this moment we have a starting line-up because of so many matches but it is coming. The goal was beautiful but the meaning of the assists and hard work for team means more to me. That work of continuity in the performance is what makes me really happy.”

Mourinho also praised 16-year-old academy graduate Dane Scarlett, who set up the fourth goal for Carlos Vinicius.

“He is a diamond, a kid with incredible potential. He has worked many times with the first team and that gives him a different personality.

“He is still 16, 17 soon and I believe next season he will be a first-team squad player because he has a lot of talent.

“He is going to be a fantastic player and I hope everything around him goes well. He is a striker, a number nine, I have been playing him from the sides similar to Marcus Rashford and is very clever.”

Mourinho added: “There is not one player here that I say I am not happy with, the performances were good, are they all going to start on Sunday? No, but we are playing Thursday, Sunday, Thursday.”