Frank Lampard has warned Dele Alli that he has reached the point where, if he does not change his attitude in training, it will be too late to rescue his career.
Alli has joined Besiktas on loan for the season after only being given one start in his seven months at Everton and Lampard feels Alli has lacked the focus to get back to his best.
The 26-year-old was twice named PFA Young Player of the Year, scored 22 times in the 2016-17 season, appeared in the World Cup semi-finals in 2018 and the Champions League final in 2019.
But he has not scored a Premier League goal in open play since January 2020, was allowed to leave Tottenham for a small fee and made just 13 appearances for Everton.
And Lampard’s criticisms followed Jose Mourinho’s verdict when he was Tottenham manager and called Alli “lazy” in the All or Nothing documentary.
The Everton manager said: “Having worked closely with him for a period, I have to say he really does need to understand the relation of training and focus at the highest level, to what that means to performance. I would say it to any player because it is the only thing I know.
“I wasn’t a saint, but I actually know on a personal level what training can do and focus can do, and that’s something he really has to take on board. Because I think if he can take that on board, then it can be not just a great thing for him, but for the team-mates around in the squad that he’s in. He’s at that point. That is the test for him now.”
Lampard believes it is sad how Alli’s fortunes have declined but believes it is up to him to display the dedication required, as he warned that a half-hearted approach is not enough.
He added: “I do have great empathy for the trajectory of his career in a sense, because it is just clear to see – I don’t have to dress that up in any way.
“This sport is too elite at the top end, if you want to be in that bracket, or to be influential at a club like Everton, or Tottenham where he was before, or anywhere. It is just too elite. Every player has to have a version of what is best for them and what gets the most out of them, and not every player will do the amount of training that a certain player does, but the focus has to be there and if you don’t have it [at this level] it is really, really tough – and those are the rules.”
