Jose Mourinho has challenged Dele Alli to perform in North Macedonia on Thursday night after included him in Tottenham's squad for the Europa League third qualifying round against Shkendija.
Dele was left out of the squad for the last two matches, including the second qualifying round match in Bulgaria, but he was due to start last night's Carabao Cup third-round tie at Leyton Orient before it was called off.
Questioned about Dele's recent absence this afternoon, Mourinho said: "First of all I believe that this is a special club and my players must be special and I must be a special coach.
"Because every coach has situations where players are not playing, on the bench, not selected and it looks like it's only for us that sometime a player doesn't play, it looks like something that doesn't happen in many other places.
"Something we all know [is that] since Dele arrived from MK Dons he had ups and downs: fabulous periods and other periods where he disappeared from the top-level performances.
"Under me, it was not different than before: moments where he was so good, moments where he was not so good.
"This lack of consistency, when it happens in a player, the normal situation when you have other good players in similar positions, it's normal that when you're in great form you play, when you're not in a good moment you don't play. It's as simple as that.
"Players have to prove on the pitch with their performances how good they are in that specific moment. So tomorrow he's selected, no decision yet on starting or being on the bench. But if he's on the pitch one minute or 90 minutes he has to show us. It's that simple.
"I always told you that he will have his opportunities, that [there's] no problem at all to have him and like every other player performances are very important. It's coming.
"He has a chance to play and it will be important for him to perform and every other player, when the squad becomes competitive in many positions, it's important for every player on the pitch to perform."
Asked if he expected Dele, who is of interest to Paris Saint-Germain, to stay beyond the end of the transfer window, Mourinho said yes.
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Sergio Reguilon has not been included in the squad but could make his debut against Newcastle on Sunday.