Despite his recent struggles at Goodison Park, Everton manager Frank Lampard believes Dele Alli can "absolutely" rediscover the incredible form he displayed during his peak years at Tottenham.
During the early stages of his career at Spurs, Alli emerged as one of the top young players in Europe, helping them to become top-four regulars while also earning a regular spot in England national team set-up.
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However, the midfielder was unable to maintain that level, and after two-and-a-half seasons of mediocrity, Spurs cut their losses and accepted a January transfer window bid from Everton.
What has Lampard said about Alli?
Alli has made only seven Premier League appearances for the Toffees since then, including just one as a starter, and it has been suggested that his best years are now well behind him.
Lampard, on the other hand, is not ready to give up on the 26-year-old, whom he believes has the potential to develop into a more well-rounded player over the next few seasons.
In response to a question about whether Alli can still be the player he once was ahead of Everton's Merseyside derby against Liverpool on Sunday, the head coach told Sky Sports: "Yes, because we've seen it before. It's a challenge because he'd be the first to admit that there was a time when he wasn't performing at those levels. That is the challenge, I tell him all the time.
"Work, consistency, training, and preparation can all help him get back to where he was. I think so, or I wouldn't have brought him to the club. It was never going to be an overnight success story because that isn't football and it isn't life in my opinion.
"Sometimes you have to fight, people have setbacks, issues, tough times - we all have them in our own ways, and Dele can know I'm right there with him."
"He will answer all of your questions." There is no doubt that talent exists, and perhaps with more years and maturity, that talent and maturity return, and you see a slightly different Dele, but the same level of quality."
Lampard admits Everton must be 'flawless' to beat Liverpool
Everton are currently 17th in the table, one point ahead of Burnley despite having played one more game, with the relegation battle heating up as the season nears its end.
Lampard's side beat Manchester United 1-0 before drawing with Leicester last time out to boost their chances of staying in the division, but he admits that quadruple-chasing Liverpool will be a far more difficult test.
The Toffees' manager, on the other hand, believes they can pull off an upset, as he added: "If we don't, we might as well not show up. Can we be pessimists? Yeah. We're going up against the world's best team.
"Great people, great managers, and a great process to get to where they need to go. But it's a game of 11 men against 11 men, and we have to believe that if we do our jobs correctly, if we give everything from the first minute to the last... it will have to be pretty faultless from our perspective to get the result we want, but do we believe?
"Yes, because Evertonians attending Anfield and those watching at home believe.
"I'm looking forward to visiting Anfield. I understand how difficult it is. We'll be everyone's pick not to get anything from the game on the outside, but that's fine with me.
"My focus is on what we have ahead of us over the next month, and the Liverpool game comes first. In that game, we give our all."