Daily Mail:Dele urged to quit football and RETIRE if he 'doesn't love it anymore'

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‘Unrecognisable’ Dele Alli has been told to walk away and ‘move on with life’ is he is no longer enjoying professional football by ex-Liverpool midfielder Stan Collymore.

The 25-year-old has yet to start a game under new Everton boss Frank Lampard and looks a shadow of the player that dazzled three years ago at Tottenham under Mauricio Pochettino.

Speaking in his Mirror column, Collymore has offered his own help but stresses that the Everton midfielder must answers ‘serious’ questions in a bid to establish whether football is in his future.

Dele Alli is finding life tough at Everton since he left Tottenham earlier in the season © Provided by Daily Mail Dele Alli is finding life tough at Everton since he left Tottenham earlier in the season Stan Collymore has advised Alli to walk away from football if he no longer enjoys it © Provided by Daily Mail Stan Collymore has advised Alli to walk away from football if he no longer enjoys it

‘Dele needs to answer some serious questions, for himself, no one else. He has to ask: Do you want to play professional football, or are you not cut out for it?’ Collymore wrote in his column.

‘Dele Alli may decide he doesn’t love it anymore. Go and find something you are passionate about, and don’t cheat the game by going on a circus around other Premier League clubs.

‘He’d be cheating the fans and clubs and managers of those clubs. He’s gone from the next golden midfielder in Europe, to people asking if he is still a Premier League player. The answers can only come from Dele.

‘Look in the mirror and be honest: Do you want to be a pro or not? Don’t drift for another five years because that would be a crime against his ability.’

Frank Lampard (right) is yet to start the midfielder since he has taken charge over at Everton © Provided by Daily Mail Frank Lampard (right) is yet to start the midfielder since he has taken charge over at Everton

Alli left Tottenham in January and joined Everton on a deal through until 2024.

There was hope that he would be able to set his career back on track and force his way back into the reckoning with Gareth Southgate and England.

‘It’s a fresh slate for Dele Alli but we also have to push him to extract what’s there. I just have to find the right environment for him. I’m very excited to have him and Donny,’ Lampard said in his first press conference as Everton manager.

‘Alli is a versatile player who can get involved in build-up play. It’s nice to manage someone who occupies similar areas of the field to myself.

‘A player like Donny is someone who can link play. Slightly different to what we have. Dele also has his own versatile nature.’

Lampard was brimming with optimism when the 25-year-old signed but uses him sparingly © Provided by Daily Mail Lampard was brimming with optimism when the 25-year-old signed but uses him sparingly

But the reality has been much bleaker for Alli and Collymore has suggested the ex-Tottenham midfielder could do worse than follow the lead of former tennis world No 1 Ash Barty.

Barty, just 25, decided to walk away from the sport as a defending Grand Slam champion, ensuring she went out while on top.

He added: ‘Maybe he needs to have an Ash Barty moment. So many tennis players and swimmers get to their mid-20s and think they’ve been doing sport for years. They ask: why put myself through it? It’s not important anymore.’

Dele urged to quit football and RETIRE if he ‘doesn’t love it anymore’ (msn.com)