Sunday 2 October 2016 14:06, UK
Tottenham midfielder Dele Alli has reflected on a "crazy" year since his club debut, including adapting to life in London and his England call-up.
The 20-year-old made the move from boyhood club MK Dons in February 2015, spending the rest of season with the League One side before making a permanent switch to White Hart Lane that summer.
He made his Tottenham debut on August 8 against Manchester United - replacing Eric Dier in the 77th minute - before scoring on his next appearance against Leicester and was then awarded with a first start against Sunderland a few weeks later.
Alli's meteoric rise continued as he received his first senior England cap after just two U21 appearances and represented his country at Euro 2016 in France - all in the space of a year.
"The last 12 months have been crazy. It feels like so much longer than a year," the youngster told Patrick Davison ahead of the Nissan Super Sunday clash with Manchester City live on Sky Sports.
"I remember this time last season, I was still just trying to get in the starting 11 and trying to get playing and show what I can do. Things have been crazy ever since.
"It was hard moving from Milton Keynes to London and trying to get my way into the team, not really knowing that many people down here and trying to make this my home.
"It happened naturally and I felt comfortable straight away. I was working with the manager and in training and trying to get into the starting 11.
"It hasn't been easy, you have to work hard every day but I must say, as soon as I joined, I felt like I had a connection with the fans, the players and all the staff here. Everyone was so welcoming and I remember it really well.
"All the older players looked after me, all the youngsters and it was a great set of boys here and they all help each other out so it felt like a good place to be and I'm happy to have joined.
"When I first joined, everyone talked about me going out on loan but I remember saying to my family when I signed here that I wanted to play. I didn't really think about going to another club, I wanted to be a Tottenham player and play at Tottenham.
"I remember saying my target was to try and get 10 starts before the end of the season and obviously I out-did myself, so I'll have to set them bit higher now."
The midfielder's league form caught the eye of then-England manager Roy Hodgson, who called him up two months after his debut in October 2015 and his performances saw him earn a spot in the Three Lions squad for Euro 2016.
However, it wasn't quite the finale to an otherwise stellar season for Alli as England crashed out to Iceland in the last 16.
"It was a great achievement for me to be in the squad," said the 20-year-old, who featured in all four games. "Everyone dreams of representing their country at a major tournament like that but obviously after what happened, it was a really hard one to take for me," he added.
"When you think about it, it makes you cringe a bit and you feel a bit down but you have to make sure you don't think about it too much. You have to focus on the future and know that you can succeed in life and you have to keep working hard."
Tottenham have lost just once so far this season - to Monaco in the Champions League - and are unbeaten in the top flight but face a daunting prospect in Manchester City.
Pep Guardiola's side top the table ahead of Spurs in second with a 100 per cent league record thus far, but Alli is aware of the danger they offer ahead of the clash on Sky Sports.
"They've been really good. They're a great team and they have a great manager as well. Having played with some of their players, I know how good they are so it's going to be tough.
"There's no easy game in the Premier League this season so we're not going to change anything we do, we're just going to go out there and try and win.
"I haven't changed, I'm still the same boy and I'm just going to keep doing what I'm doing. I can't get carried away with myself and I need to keep working hard. I need to make sure this season is even better than the last.
"My friends, my family and even the people here keep me grounded. I've got really good friends here and we all help each other out and make sure we don't get carried away with ourselves. It's a good place to be here and I'm happy."
Watch the full interview with Dele Alli in the build-up to Tottenham v Man City, live from 1.30pm on Sky Sports 1 HD.
