19 July 2023 , 12:59
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Mauricio Pochettino plans to meet with Dele Alli and "give him a big hug" after he admitted that the Everton midfielder's emotional interview with Gary Neville was too "painful" to watch.
Dele, as he prefers to be known, opened up on his childhood trauma during a brave conversation with ex-Manchester United captain Neville, revealing that he'd been molested at the age of six and was dealing drugs two years later. The revelations prompted the football world to get behind him, with everyone from Gary Lineker to Prince William offering their support.
Pochettino, his former manager at Tottenham and who the ex-England international played his best football under, has followed Dele's career since the pair parted ways in late 2019 and now that they're both back in England, he hopes to sit down with him for a proper chat.
New Chelsea manager Pochettino, who was sacked by Spurs almost four years ago, told ESPN: "Of course, it was really tough for me to see him. I didn't finish the interview because it was so painful.
"He knows how we [Pochettino and his coaching staff] love him, how important he is for us as a person. Like a player, he was amazing but like a person he has a big, big heart. And of course, we are in contact.
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"After the USA tour I hope to see him in London, to meet him and give him a big hug. Always, it is tough when you love a person but they show in an interview like this, it is really, really painful. But he is a strong, unbelievable guy and for sure he will become stronger."
Dele, meanwhile, recently turned 27 and is currently training to regain his fitness with Everton. Last season, the midfielder endured a difficult loan spell with Turkish giants Besiktas and ended up becoming addicted to sleeping pills.
"When I came back from Turkey, I found out that I need an operation and I was in a bad place mentally," the 27-year-old, who's determined to get his career back on track in the new season, explained. "I decided to go to a modern-day rehab facility for mental health.
Mauricio Pochettino and Dele Alli still share a good relationship to this day (WILL OLIVER/EPA-EFE/REX)"They deal with addiction, mental health and trauma because it was something that I felt like it was time for. I think with things like that, you can't be told to go there.
"I think you have to know, and you have to make the decision yourself, otherwise it's not going to work. Inside, I was definitely losing the battle and it was time for me to change it because when I got injured and they told me I needed surgery, I could feel the feelings I had when the cycle begins and I didn't want it to happen any more.
"So I went there for six weeks and Everton were amazing about it. They supported me 100 per cent and I'll be grateful to them forever."
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