Mauricio Pochettino has urged supporters of rival Premier League clubs to get off Dele Alli’s back for the common good of the England team. The Tottenham manager has noted the treatment Alli has come in for at away stadiums – largely because of his reputation for diving – and he wants the critics to remember that the player is 21.

Pochettino is preparing for Sunday’s visit to Chelsea and he reported there was the small possibility Harry Kane would return to his squad following ankle ligament damage. He added Alli was fit after the slight groin problem that held him back during the international break.

Ali was under discussion after Gareth Southgate suggested he was not a certainty to start for England. Pochettino said he would always help Alli through difficult moments – sometimes by delivering home truths – but he also pleaded for less hostility towards him.

“You can see every time that we play away from home, the fans focus on him and it’s a moment to stop and try to help because, for me, Dele would be such an important player for England, not only for Tottenham,” Pochettino said. “It’s not to give presents but, yes, to help him because he is a talent.

“For every player there are tough moments and in those situations the most important thing from my side is to support Dele – but not be funny with him or nice. Sometimes you need to push him and be tough. Those situations are in my manager’s room and we have a lot of chats. It’s about trying to help a very talented player, an English player.”

Pochettino believes there is no better 21-year-old in world football than Alli. “The problem is that in the last two seasons he was unbelievable,” Pochettino said. “Younger players always have ups and downs. This season the expectation was massive, maybe too high.

“If you compare him with normal 21-year-olds – they are still living at home with their parents; they are still at university doing stupid things. Sometimes we expect too much and put too much pressure on 21-year-old players. Sometimes we forget and treat them like 40-year-old men. We need to be focused on Dele still being a kid. There’s a lot of pressure on his shoulders and he cannot always act how the people and the society expect.”

Kane was injured at Bournemouth on 11 March and the expectation was that he would be out until mid-April. But the striker is ahead of schedule and, although it is more likely that he will feature on Saturday week at Stoke, Pochettino did not rule him out of the Chelsea game.

“I cannot say no but I cannot say yes,” he said. “Maybe next weekend [he will return]. It’s not about his body, it’s about his brain. The most important muscle that he has is his brain. He’s so determined, so positive.”