Spurs stud Dele Alli plagued by ankle, knee concerns

Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino admits that star midfielder Dele Alli is being closely monitored, with the young England international hampered by both ankle and knee issues.

Alli played the entirety of Saturday's 2-2 north London derby match against rival Arsenal, with concerns emerging after the match the 19-year-old suffered two knocks.

"He is an incredible athlete, yes, but he is not a machine," Pochettino told reporters in advance of Thursday's Europa League trip to Germany to face Borussia Dortmund, for which Alli is suspended.

"He has a problem in his ankle and knee. He was good before the game but the players are not machines."

When asked if he has considered resting Alli for portions of the run-in, Pochettino added: "It depends.

"We assess the players every day and we take the best decision from the team."

Alli has emerged as one of the Premier League's best young players this season, exceeding all expectations after spending last season with hometown Championship side MK Dons.

The versatile midfielder has cemented his place as one of the first names on Pochettino's team sheet with 27 league appearances for Spurs this season, pairing seven goals with six assists for the second-place side.

"We try to look after all of them. We played a lot of games and we come from a difficult season, because we've played a lot."

Capping off his media availability, the Argentine manager took a cheeky stab at the expectations placed on his teenage star.

"Maybe we expect from him to run more than 14 kilometres in every game."