Tottenham ace Dele Alli is grateful his horror tackle against Gent did not end with a broken leg like Neil Taylor’s foul on Seamus Coleman
England international saw red for his lunge on Brecht Dejaegere’s shin in as Spurs crashed out of the Europa League
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DELE ALLI cringed when he saw Neil Taylor’s leg-breaking challenge on Seamus Coleman.
Because no-nonsense Spurs star Dele knows it could so easily have been him carrying the burden of guilt.
He has been handed a three-match Uefa ban after being sent off for an horrendous over-the-top lunge on Gent midfielder Brecht Dejaegere during last month’s 2-2 Europa League draw.
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And he candidly confesses he can have no complaints about the punishment after seeing the damage caused by Welshman Taylor’s foul on Republic of Ireland defender Coleman last week.
Dele said: “It’s terrible to see a player getting injured like that and I feel really sorry for Seamus and wish him a speedy recovery.
“But Neil Taylor definitely wouldn’t have meant to injure the player.
“You never think that something like that is going to happen when you go into a tackle.
“It was a horrible moment for me when I caught the guy against Gent.
“I was so relieved that nothing bad happened to the player.
“I didn’t go in to hurt him. I went for the ball but sometimes it can look a lot worse than you intended and I felt terrible after the game.”
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Dele’s soaring reputation means he is having to come to terms with being a marked man.
The all-action midfielder was subjected to a number of hefty challenges during England’s 2-0 Wembley win against Lithuania on Sunday.
And he was pleased with the way he kept his cool in the face of such blatant provocation.
Dele, 20, pointed out: “It’s something that’s happened since I was at Milton Keynes.
“There were a lot of players in League One putting in hard tackles, so it’s something I’m used to.
“You can see when a player is coming in for you and you have to be prepared to ride the tackle, or to get away from it.
“Sometimes it can benefit the team if an opponent dives in and concedes a free-kick, so I’m happy to be tackled and to keep playing.
“A lot has been said and written about my aggression but it’s not something I’m looking to change.
“I’ve always been like that since I was a youngster and now it’s just about keeping things under control and I think I’ve been doing that.
“I am looking to improve the way I react in certain situations and hopefully people can see that.
“I learned straightaway from my red card the other week and now I have to move forward as much as I can and keep improving.”