Dele Alli told to think before he acts by Gareth Southgate Spurs star returns from ban

GARETH SOUTHGATE has warned Dele Alli to think before he acts.

Dele returns from his one-match ban for the Three Lions’ final World Cup qualifier in Lithuania tonight.

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And boss Southgate said: “Dele doesn’t always think about the possible consequences – he’s 21. All of us, at 21, don’t always make the right decisions.

“But as a coach you support him. As he gets older, he’ll make more good decisions in all areas.

“He understands his responsibilities, that the spotlight is on him even more now that his career is progressing.

“It’s easy for me to sit here and say this is how he should be but it’s different in the middle of a game because everyone has different personalities.”

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Dele’s international ban came for a middle-finger gesture during England’s 2-1 win over Slovakia last month.

The Tottenham forward was also booked for diving last weekend and got a retrospective three-game ban in April 2016 for punching West Brom’s Claudio Yacob.

David Beckham was infamously sent off for kicking out at Diego Simeone as England crashed out of the 1998 World Cup to Argentina on penalties.

And former Spurs star Darren Anderton said: “I remember England boss Glenn Hoddle warning Becks at Le Tournoi in 1997.

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“He got booked in a couple of games for something petulant and Glenn said, ‘If you do that next year it could cost us’.

“The next year it did happen. I don’t say it was down to Becks, it was down to poor refereeing and gamesmanship.

“But Dele needs to listen and be aware it can happen.”