Pochettino: Dele Alli deserved spot on senior Player of the Year shortlist

Mauricio Pochettino believes Tottenham midfielder Dele Alli deserved to be on the shortlist for the men’s Professional Footballers’ Association Player of the Year award.

Alli has scored 16 goals already this season but was left off the six-man list, which included Chelsea pair N’Golo Kante and Eden Hazard, as well as his Spurs team-mate Harry Kane, Arsenal forward Alexis Sanchez, Zlatan Ibrahimovic of Manchester United and Romelu Lukaku of Everton.

The 21-year-old was named on the shortlist for Young Player of the Year — an award he won last season — but Pochettino claimed Alli was unlucky not to be in contention for the top prize.