Mauricio Pochettino tips Dele Alli to be future Tottenham captain

Mauricio Pochettino has tipped Dele Alli to be a future captain at Tottenham, saying the England midfielder had the "personality and character" for the job.

Alli, 20, has been in excellent form for Spurs this season, scoring 11 goals in 23 league appearances.

He broke into the first-team at White Hart Lane on the opening day of last season and signed a new contract to stay at the club until 2022 in September.

France goalkeeper Hugo Lloris is Tottenham's current captain with striker Harry Kane serving his deputy, but Pochettino said Alli could take over as the leader when he has enough experience under his belt.

"Of course it is important we have Hugo Lloris, the captain of France, he is an experienced player and can maybe give better advice than younger players," the Argentine coach was quoted as saying by Sky Sports ahead of Spurs's trip to Anfield to face Liverpool.

"But then we have Dele Alli, with his personality and character, maybe he can become a leader in a few years. Every player in the squad has leadership qualities, they just need time to develop the qualities.

"It's important to have good character and always work to win, not just to say 'I want to win' – it is to show you want it with your behaviour, attitude, enthusiasm, your own motivation."

Pochettino also spoke about Liverpool's downturn in fortunes since the turn of the year, with Jurgen Klopp's men yet to win a game in the Premier League in 2017.

"I cannot speak for another coach but all the managers, and Klopp with his experience, he is clever like other managers to provide good balance," he said.

"If you win you are a genius, if you don't win you are criticised. You need to be natural, spontaneous and believe in the way you play, use your methods. It's an easy answer – only work in the way you believe you can achieve big things."