Dele Alli vows to 'make improvements, not excuses' in cryptic Instagram post

Dele Alli has shown he is ready for the fight at Tottenham after promising to 'make improvements, not excuses' in his latest Instagram post.

The cryptic message, which has been seen as a motivational tool having found himself out of favour under Jose Mourinho, accompanied a photo of Alli undertaking a strength and balance workout at his London home.

Alli, 24, has featured in just two Premier League games so far this term and has failed to earn a spot in the matchday squad for Spurs' last four matches.

He was hooked at half-time in the season opener against Everton and came off the bench during the 6-1 hammering of Manchester United at Old Trafford.

But despite talk of a move away prior to the deadline this summer, Alli stayed in north London and was keen to fight for his spot.

Sportsmail reported earlier this month that Alli and Mourinho are still to discuss the reasons behind the Spurs boss' decision to sideline his midfielder so frequently since the start of the season.

Likewise, questions over why he was not allowed to leave on loan during the summer are still unanswered.

Alli had played a key role upon Mourinho's arrival but has rapidly fallen down the pecking order and is under no illusions that he is at a crossroads in his career.

Paris Saint-Germain failed with three loan offers during the summer and would certainly be interested again in January if he was made available.

There has been no fall-out between manager and player but while Mourinho seems to have made up his mind on Alli, the England international is ready to make the 'improvements' required to win back his spot in the first team.

Team-mate Eric Dier believes Alli's future has not been condemned at the club and that he still possesses the 'quality' to turn the tide.

'Dele has the capacity, we all know his quality, we all know what he brings, he's shown that in the past,' Dier said.

'It's really up to him to put in the work, the effort, the commitment and I'm sure he will do that.

'That's who he is, he's always had that drive. It's up to him, it's in his hands and it's in all of our hands.

'Individually, we all have to perform, we've got a very big squad and we all have to perform at the highest level if we want to play.'

Mauricio Pochettino, who brought Alli through and developed him into an international-calibre player, recently gave his backing to the midfielder.

Speaking on Sky Sports, the former Spurs boss said Alli's energy is similar to that of Diego Maradona, who Pochettino was a team-mate of with Argentina briefly as their careers overlapped.

'Maradona's charisma and the energy made him so special,' Pochettino said.

'When he arrived in the room everyone wanted to touch him, talk to him, go ask for a picture but his energy and charisma was amazing. Another player with charisma was Ronaldinho, when he played at PSG.

'Dele had this type of charisma - but what an amazing player Ronaldinho was. Dele has this charisma that the kids love and follow.

'Different talents, different characteristics but Ronaldinho and Maradona have this special energy that you know is a special energy.'

Alli is aware that a place in the England squad for Euro 2021 will be under threat if he cannot force his way back into Mourinho's Spurs line-up, and he may have to go out on loan in January to get his career back on track if no progress is made.