Thursday 27 September 2018 10:35, UK
Dele Alli has outlined a desire to be a leader on the pitch following his first appearance as captain of Tottenham.
Alli took over the armband against Watford at Stadium MK in the absence of regular captain Hugo Lloris, in what was a homecoming match for the midfielder at the stadium of his former side MK Dons.
The 22-year-old scored the winning spot-kick as Tottenham progressed to the fourth round of the Carabao Cup on penalties after a 2-2 draw, having also scored an 82nd-minute penalty to draw Mauricio Pochettino's side level at 1-1.
"It was good, it was a little bit too big for me but it was a massive honour for me," Alli told Sky Sports on the captaincy.
"I spoke to the gaffer yesterday and he asked me if I wanted to be [captain] and it was a real privilege.
"I think it's important when we're out on the pitch that we know we need to have 11 leaders out there, but it was a huge honour."
When asked whether he has his sights set on permanently leading a side in the future, Alli joked about his pre-match preparation but admitted captaincy was very much in his mentality.
"If you asked the boys about my speech before they might disagree, but I think I want to be a leader out there anyway and whether I've got the armband or not it's important that that is my mentality," he said.
