Dele Alli's one-goal, two-assist performance in Tottenham's 4-0 Europa League romp on Wednesday convinced Jose Mourinho that he may soon hold a full-time place in the lineup.
Alli, once a Spurs cornerstone under Mauricio Pochettino, had been frozen out of Mourinho's team for much of the campaign and nearly left in January before the manager nixed a deadline loan move.
Given a rare opportunity to play extended minutes against Wolfsberger, Alli delivered an overhead kick to put Tottenham in front before showing the full extent of his passing abilities. Mourinho said afterward that he now sees a clear path toward more frequent playing time for the English footballer.
What did Mourinho say about Alli?
"We had a difficult period, he had an injury and at the same time talk, talk, talk about staying or leaving," Mourinho told BT Sport.
"The market closed, the injury went and he started working with motivation. He is playing very well, I am not saying in this moment we have a starting line-up because of so many matches but it is coming.
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"The goal was beautiful but the meaning of the assists and hard work for team means more to me. That work of continuity in the performance is what makes me really happy."
How did Mourinho respond to Tottenham's all-around performance?
"It was good, we got through, won the match like we wanted and no need for the emergency plan," Mourinho added.
"We played well for large periods and all four goals were beautiful. A special night for the kids who played for the first time and no injuries."
One of those "kids" was Dane Scarlett, a 16-year-old forward who assisted Spurs' fourth goal.
"He is a diamond, a kid with incredible potential. He has worked many times with the first team and that gives him a different personality.
"He is still 16, 17 soon and I believe next season he will be a first team squad player because he has a lot of talent. He is going to be a fantastic player and I hope everything around him goes well.
"He is a striker, a No. 9, I have been playing him from the sides similar to Marcus Rashford and he is very clever.
"There is not one player here that I say I am not happy with, the performances were good, are they all going to start on Sunday? No but we are playing Thursday, Sunday, Thursday."
What's next for Tottenham?
Spurs have a somewhat congested Premier League schedule over the next two weeks, opening the door for Mourinho to rotate Alli into the lineup. They face Burnley this Sunday, Fulham the following Thursday and Crystal Palace three days after that.
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