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Man Utd icon Sir Alex Ferguson had Dele Alli regret that he might not have anymore
Sir Alex Ferguson had a huge Dele Alli regret, but the Man Utd icon may have shaken it off in recent years.
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Sir Alex Ferguson once lamented to Manchester United staff about how they missed out on signing Dele Alli as a teenager from MK Dons. But that regret will have likely diminished six years on, with the former England international's once-promising career stuck in limbo.
Alli broke onto the senior scene as a 16-year-old in November 2012, catching the eye against Cambridge City in the FA Cup first round before scoring a 30-yard strike in the replay 11 days later.
Tottenham Hotspur were already onto him at the time, as scout David Pleat wrote in one of his six reports: "He had all the credentials, an absolute natural."
Two years after his debut, an 18-year-old Alli was involved in MK Dons' famous 4-0 win against United in the Carabao Cup.
The following season, he joined Spurs before starting a meteoric - but short-lived - rise as a Premier League superstar.
According to the Mail, Ferguson was still frustrated that United didn't act on his performance in the four-goal mauling of Louis van Gaal's side three years later.
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In 2017, the iconic Scot sat with Red Devils figures in Skopje, the capital of North Macedonia, on the eve of the UEFA Super Cup clash with Real Madrid.
And he made sure to let them know of his regret about missing out on the talented midfielder to Tottenham, saying: "I don't know how we missed the boy Alli. He was right there in front of us. What a mistake."
Alli intensified Ferguson's frustrations with an incredible start to life at Tottenham, scoring more goals in his first 50 Premier League games than Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo, among other legends.
Three years after leaving Milton Keynes, he was an England international at 21, scoring a 25-yard screamer on his debut, and a two-time PFA Young Player of the Year.
But then came one of the most unexpected declines in Premier League history... which likely settled Ferguson's disgruntlement.
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After his development at Tottenham simply hit a wall, Alli was ineffective for over two years before leaving on a free transfer to Everton in January 2022.
He did little at Goodison Park for the remainder of the 2021/22 season, starting one game before leaving on loan to Besiktas in the summer.
But the 27-year-old was also slammed for his attitude in Istanbul and has returned to Everton to nurse an injury, with his future in Sean Dyche's plans up in the air.
Everton will owe Spurs £10million if Alli makes 20 appearances. But the Lilywhites reportedly don't expect to receive that fee, which likely tells a sad story about his direction.
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