Thursday 28 April 2016 18:31, UK
Former Tottenham defender Graham Roberts has warned Dele Alli he is now a target for opposition sides.
Alli has been handed a three-match FA ban after he was caught on camera aiming a punch into the stomach of West Brom's Claudio Yacob during Monday's 1-1 draw at White Hart Lane. He will now miss the remainder of Tottenham's season.
The former MK Dons midfielder, who has been an instant hit in his debut season in the Premier League with 10 goals and nine assists, was targeted by Yacob and West Brom, according to Roberts.
Roberts praised the 20-year-old, who was recently named the PFA Young Player of the Year, but warned Alli he must watch his temper in future.
"We needed one of the experienced players like Jan Vertonghen or Moussa Dembele to get hold of him and just say 'look calm down'," Roberts told Sky Sports News HQ. "West Brom did their homework. They got Yacob on him and he was winding him up from the first kick of the game.
"He tackled him, he pulled him, he pushed him over, but being 20 years old you just get a little eaten up about it. I don't think there was anything in it anyway.
"He has just swung an arm and caught him. He's got to learn from that because there will be other teams in Europe, in the Champions League, when we get there, and in the league next year, who will all be trying to wind him up.
"He's got to learn, but he's a wonderful talent."
The youngster is now suspended for Tottenham's remaining three fixtures of the season, ruling him out of the final chapter of the title race.
Roberts, speaking at his Golf Day in aid of the Algarve Centre, is adamant, though, that despite the West Brom draw and the presumed absence of Alli, Tottenham are still capable of chasing down Leicester City.
Second-placed Tottenham trail the league leaders by seven points and Roberts' former Spurs team-mate Clive Allen is also convinced the title is not yet firmly in Leicester's grasp.
"I still think there may be a twist left in it," said the former Spurs striker. "Spurs have to win every game, there's no doubt about that. I can see Leicester just edging across the line now, but it's been a remarkable season.
"The way they've gone about it having lost the first game of the season to Manchester United, from there on in they've played with great consistency. I think the signs for the future are very, very bright."
