Danny Murphy tells Dele Alli to copy Chelsea player through adversity to be Everton ‘saviour’
Dele Alli can provide a “wonderful redemption story” at Everton if he follows the example of Chelsea’s Ruben Loftus-Cheek says Danny Murphy.
The former Tottenham midfielder was signed at the end of the January transfer window but has struggled to establish himself at Goodison, often being overlooked for selection.
But he played an important role in the build up for Richarlison’s late equaliser against Leicester on Wednesday (20 April), and ex-Liverpool player Murphy has told him to emulate another England midfielder who has come through adversity, while also considering some issues that may be affecting the 26-year-old.
In his Mail on Sunday column Murphy said: “His January arrival was a calculated risk and one that hasn’t worked out so far. It’s a big few weeks coming up for him now.
“I don’t think Lampard would have demanded to sign Dele, but when the opportunity came up he probably thought it was worth a try.
“Let’s hope his Leicester cameo is a turning point — he needs to back it up. This is a guy who was a starter in England’s run to the World Cup semi-final and is still only 26.
“If he needs inspiration, he should look at Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who has come through bad injuries and being shipped out on loan by Chelsea to win his place in their team.”
On what might be behind Dele’s struggles he added: “For players who make it big at a young age, like Dele, there are so many potential pitfalls.
“How do you handle wealth? What is your support network like when you have bad times? Are you being honest with yourself rather than merely putting on a brave face?
“Everton need him and if he can be their saviour, it will be a wonderful redemption story.”
Comeback
Hardly anyone could argue that the only permanent signing of the Frank Lampard reign is close to the level he was at his peak in north London.
Plenty of the problems have been parked at Jose Mourinho’s door, as Dele appeared to be the nominated Spurs player who the Portuguese manager asserted his authority over upon arrival.
Iker Casillas at Real Madrid, Juan Mata at Chelsea, and Luke Shaw at Manchester United can probably attest to the challenge that can be.
There always seems to be a suspicion with the Everton man that there is some secret private-life issue or lack of motivation at the heart of things though.
Whether there is or not, his confidence is clearly low which could easily be the explanation in itself.
Being a lightning rod for criticism and speculation likely doesn’t help, but the telling contribution last time out at Goodison was a positive sign.
Loftus-Cheek scored in the FA Cup semi-final win for the European Champions last weekend and is once again on the cusp of establishing himself as a first-team regular, after false dawns around injury and loan moves.
A decisive goal like that from Dele would be priceless for the Toffees currently and would go a long way to turn his transfer into a success.
In other Everton news, Mark Lawrenson has predicted what will happen in the Merseyside derby.
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