Jose Mourinho has revealed the one piece of advice Sir Alex Ferguson gave him during his two-and-a-half years at Manchester United.
The former Chelsea boss became the Red Devils' manager in 2016 and won three trophies during a turbulent tenure at Old Trafford before departing the club in December 2018.
Mourinho has since replaced Mauricio Pochettino as Tottenham coach and incidentally linked up with the one player Ferguson had told him to sign at United.
"Sir Alex Ferguson gave me only one advice in two and a half years [at United]: buy Dele Alli," Mourinho said in Amazon's All or Nothing: Tottenham Hotspur documentary. "But he’s not a good trainer and we need to find the right motivation for the guy."
While Alli never made his way to Old Trafford, Mourinho did make 11 signings while working at the Red Devils including Paul Pogba, Alexis Sanchez and Romelu Lukaku all joining the club.
Sanchez's move from Arsenal was seen as a particular failure, with the Chilean recently sealing a permanent move to Inter on a free transfer after enjoying a strong season on loan in Milan.
With Mourinho himself now at Tottenham, he has inevitably found himself managing Alli and wasted no time getting stuck into the England international.
“F*cking lazy,” Mourinho reportedly told the midfielder on his first day. “I am going to be a pain in the ass for you, and you are lucky because when I am a pain in the ass, it’s a good thing.
“I don’t know if it has to be to your lifestyle. If you want periods [when] you are an amazing professional, if in another period, you become a party boy. I have no idea. Only you can know that. Time flies and one day you will regret if you don’t reach what you can reach.”
The 24-year-old enjoyed a bright spell immediately after Mourinho's arrival as he was played in a more attacking midfield role.
Alli ended the 2019-20 Premier League campaign with eight goals and four assists to his name from 25 appearances as Tottenham scraped to a sixth-place finish.