'He messed up' - Lampard used an Everton player who was 'not fit' on Tuesday, says pundit

Frank McAvennie has said Dele Alli is ‘not fit enough’ after his performance in Everton’s 3-1 defeat away at Newcastle United in the Premier League.

After signing from Tottenham Hotspur on Transfer Deadline Day, Alli made his debut for the Goodison Park faithful on Tuesday night, coming on midway through the first half for the injured Demarai Gray.

Being an English midfield player, there is no doubt that Frank Lampard will be excited to work with him, but some really poor form over the last couple of seasons at Spurs means that it will take some excellent coaching to get Alli back to his best.

Speaking to Football Insider, former top-flight striker McAvennie has now taken aim at Alli after watching his performance, claiming that he is ‘not fit enough’ to play in the Premier League at this moment in time, although he does expect him to ‘come good’ again:

“Alli hasn’t played for so long.

“I think we need to cut him some slack. I think getting caught out last night will give him a nudge in the right direction.

“It might end up benefitting him. Those mistakes bother you as a player and he will know he messed up.

“He’s not fit enough to play in the Premier League at the moment, that’s clear.

“But we know he’s a good player. He’s a brilliant player on his day. The best thing for him is to give him as much game time as possible.

“Once he gets up to speed I’m sure we will see a positive change there.

“He needed a pre-season, really. If he plays, he will come good.”

Alli’s performance against the Magpies was disappointing to say the least, as he lost the ball no fewer than 18 times, the joint-most out of his teammates, and was robbed by Joe Willock in the build-up leading to the hosts’ second goal.

Alli also lost out on eight of