Dele Alli 'born' to be at Tottenham, says Micky Hazard

Former Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Micky Hazard has lavished praise on teenager Dele Alli, saying Alli was "born" to ply his trade at White Hart Lane and drawing favourable comparisons to Spurs great Glenn Hoddle.

Hazard (a Wearside-born manager of ninth-tier Hadley FC, not father of the Chelsea star) won the FA Cup and UEFA Cup with Spurs in the 1980s, and he's been keeping a close eye on the breakout campaign of the former Milton Keynes Dons man.

"What I love about Dele Alli is his incredible confidence in his own ability," he told ESPN FC's Dan Kilpatrick. "He's walked into Tottenham Hotspur - a massive jump from where he was - and it's like he was born to be there, born to do the things he does.

"He does things that make you think: 'Wow.' His goal at (Crystal) Palace was absolutely incredible. To even think of that was incredible, and to produce it was amazing."

Alli, 19, scored the opener in Spurs' impressive 3-0 away win at Norwich City on Tuesday, and his seven goals and four assists make him a sure-fire bet to occupy a spot in England's midfield at Euro 2016.

Hazard sees similarities between Alli and Hoddle, the two-footed maestro who ran Tottenham's midfield in the 1970s and 1980s, and also John Wark, the 29-time Scotland international who most famously starred among Bobby Robson's Ipswich Town upstarts around the same era.

"He's a combination of players. He's a Hoddle and a Wark," he said. "He ghosts into goal-scoring positions and he's capable of hitting that telling pass - not quite as regularly as Glenn, but he's capable. He's got a big future."

Hazard was also full of kind words for Spurs manager Mauricio Pochettino, and believes the side has every opportunity of mounting a serious title challenge. The club is currently just five points adrift table-topping Leicester City.

"What we've got is a great blend of youth and experience. It's the youngest team, and ultimately with each game comes more experience. We know Spurs are a good side, we know they're capable of winning games."