Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino has admitted he found Dele Alli's tell-all interview discussing his childhood trauma "too painful to watch" and hopes to give him a "big hug" soon.
Alli, 27, recently opened up his career struggles, battles with addiction and being molested at the age of six in an emotional interview with Gary Neville on The Overlap.
Pochettino signed the Englishman for Tottenham in 2015 from Milton Keynes Dons, where Allli went on to establish himself as one of his country's most promising talents.
However, since Pochettino was sacked in 2019, the attacking midfielder struggled to replicate his previous form and eventually fell out of favour under Jose Mourinho before moving to Everton.
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Pochettino, who has recently taken charge of Chelsea, has now responded to the interview, revealing that he "didn't finish the interview because it was so painful".
"Of course, it was really tough for me to see him," he told ESPN. "I didn’t finish the interview because it was so painful.
"He knows how we [Pochettino and his coaching staff] love him, how important he is for us as a person. Like a player, he was amazing but like a person he has a big, big heart."
The Argentine added that he is in contact with Alli and plans to meet him after Chelsea's pre-season tour of the United States.
"And of course, we are in contact," Pochettino continued. "After the USA tour I hope to see him in London, to meet him and give him a big hug.
"Always, it is tough when you love a person but they show in an interview like this, it is really, really painful. But he is a strong, unbelievable guy and for sure he will become stronger."
Alli was equally effusive in his praise for Pochettino, stating that their relationship was "deeper" than a usual bond between player and manager.
"Mauricio Pochettino was the best manager and I couldn't have asked for a better manager at the time," Alli said on The Overlap earlier this month.
"It wasn't like a footballer and a manager relationship. It was deeper than that, I felt.
"He was just so understanding of the decisions I was making, and he was guiding – like, he cared about me as a person before the football."
Topics: Dele Alli, Mauricio Pochettino, Tottenham Hotspur, Chelsea, Football, Premier League
Joe Adams