Former Tottenham Hotspur captain Graham Roberts has labelled previous manager Jose Mourinho's treatment of Dele Alli as "absolutely pathetic".

New Spurs boss, Nuno Espirito Santo, got to see his side in action for the first time last weekend, as Spurs drew 1-1 with Leyton Orient in a pre-season friendly.

One name that Tottenham fans may have been happy to see amongst the starting XI against the O's, was Alli.

The attacking midfielder only featured 15 times in the Premier League last season as he was frozen out by then manager Jose Mourinho. After Mourinho was sacked and Ryan Mason was appointed caretaker manager, Alli started five of the last six Premier League games.

Alli's attacking instinct has seen him score 65 goals for Tottenham, as well as laying on 60 assists for his teammates showing just how effective he is for the club. Former Spurs player Graham Roberts was not happy though with Mourinho’s treatment of the midfielder last season.

He said: “I’ve always liked Dele Alli, I think he’s a great player. 

“You know last year the way Mourinho treated him was absolutely pathetic. You don’t treat football players in that way to get the best out of them, and I think the rest of the players turned against Mourinho because of that”.

Alli will be hoping that he is a key figure in Nuno Espirito Santo's side this season and get back to his previous fine form, to help Tottenham return to the top four and attempt to challenge for trophies.