One of the players struggling to shine under Jose Mourinho has now somewhat surprisingly been compared to FC Barcelona legend Ronaldinho and Diego Maradona.

Read: Pochettino Breaks Silence Amid Man Utd Links

Dele Alli has not been in Mourinho’s Premier League squad in five out of the seven games so far and has seemingly fallen down the pecking order at Tottenham Hotspur.

However, his former coach Mauricio Pochettino has now compared the 24-year-old to Ronaldinho and Maradona.

"It is impossible to say another player was or will be better than Diego Maradona,” he said on Sky Sports.

"Maradona was a talented, gifted player but was also strong, quick and powerful but his character is that of a winner.

"The charisma and energy made him so special - the charisma was the best attribute he had.

"Another player with similar charisma is Ronaldinho when we played at Paris Saint-Germain.

"And of course at the start with Dele Alli - he was also in this way with this type of charisma. People love Dele.

"But what an amazing player Ronaldinho was - the talent was complete because of the charisma, like Maradona. That is what made a real special player."

Despite praising Alli’s ability, Pochettino did not want to criticize Mourinho for how he handles the England international.

"I don't want to talk too much but when Dele came scoring goals, kids loved him,” he added.

"Kids feel this energy and charisma, they love it and follow it. Ronaldinho, like Maradona, has this special energy."

Pochettino himself has been linked with the Manchester United coaching job and you can see other potential candidates in the galery below: