Jamie Redknapp: "Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard did it for years. Getting 10 or 15 goals from midfield is invaluable."
Sunday 12 August 2018 18:43, UK
Jamie Redknapp insists Dele Alli's goals can be invaluable for Tottenham this season after the England midfielder scored the winner in Mauricio Pochettino's side's opening-day win at Newcastle.
Alli overcame any post-World Cup rustiness to produce a man-of-the-match performance less than a week after returning to training following his exploits in England's run to the semi-finals.
His contribution sealed a 2-1 win at St James' Park and Redknapp, who watched the game for Sky Sports, thinks the 22-year-old looked sharp in the season opener.
"He looked sharp," the former Liverpool and Tottenham midfielder said. "He ghosts into the box and it's what he does so well. We saw it in the World Cup as well.
"It's a brilliant header, make no mistake about it. It wasn't an easy one because he's got to head it back across the goal, but he makes it look so easy. It's a really accomplished finish.
"Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard did it for years. Getting 10 or 15 goals from midfield is invaluable."
Redknapp added: "He's only 22. You have to check yourself sometimes and realise how much he has already done at such an early age.
"He's an incredible performer."
Meanwhile, former Tottenham striker Robbie Keane thinks Alli's goals could help to take the burden off Harry Kane, who left Tyneside still awaiting his first ever Premier League goal in August after 14 games.
Keane said: "Alli's always going to score goals because he gets in such great positions. We saw that against Newcastle and it was the same at the World Cup.
"I can see him having a big season this year, scoring a lot of goals to help take the burden of Kane a bit.
"There's always so much pressure on him to score goals so to share it out would help, and Alli is quite capable of doing it."