DELE Alli could make his Tottenham return against Saints this weekend, according to manager Mauricio Pochettino.

Alli has been absent since January after suffering a hamstring injury during Spurs’ 2-1 win over Fulham at Craven Cottage.

The 22-year-old has been training with Tottenham but was unable to play in last night’s Champions League victory against Borussia Dortmund.

Former Saints boss Pochettino said: "I think Dele is close, we will see if it is possible for him to be involved on Saturday against Southampton."

The stats show that Spurs perform better when Alli is in the side - especially against Saints.

Alli has an exceptional record against Saints, scoring five goals in his previous six matches against the St Mary's side.

And not only has he proved to be effective in this particular fixture, but Spurs' recent run of form also coincides with his injury.

Before his hamstring went at Fulham in January, the former MK Dons player had helped the north London club win nine out of their previous 12 matches.

Since the setback, Poshettino's side haven't fared as well.

In the 10 games that followed on from the Fulham win, Tottenham have won just five of them, which includes yesterday's victory over Dortmund. They've lost four games during that spell and drawn once.

Spurs will also be boosted by the return of midfielder Eric Dier, who came off the bench in Tuesday night's win to make his comeback.