Dele Alli has revealed he often found himself in trouble after falling in with the wrong crowd when he was younger, before football allowed him to channel his energy into something more positive.

Alli grew up in Milton Keynes, progressing through the MK Dons academy and into their first team before securing a £5million move to Tottenham in 2015.

The 21-year-old has since established himself as a key player for Tottenham and he scored 18 Premier League goals from midfield last season en route to his second consecutive PFA Young Player of the Year award.

Dele Alli was speaking in the September edition of GQ magazine ahead of the new season

But Alli admits his life could have taken a very different path as he fell in with the 'wrong people' as a youngster growing up in the Buckinghamshire town.

'I got into trouble a few times when I was younger. I hung around with the wrong people when I was real young,' Alli told GQ.co.uk. 'With the older boys, I tried to do what they did.

'We weren't in a very good area. [Football] gave me the opportunity to actually put my energy into something else than hanging out on the street at 12 years old until 2am.'

Alli said football gave him the chance to channel his energy into something more positive

Alli has made a name for himself as a goalscoring midfielder with 32 strikes in all competitions since joining Tottenham.

He showcased his ability to score a wide range of goals in 2016-17, from a well-taken finish against Manchester City to a brilliant volleyed effort at Crystal Palace.

Alli added: 'I think a lot of my goals come from anticipating play. Just constantly thinking and trying to predict what's going to happen.

'When you're in the box, it's all quick-quick-quick. So you've got to sort of guess what's going to happen next. Where the ball might fall, so you can get that extra yard on the defender.'

The midfielder scored 18 Premier League goals for Tottenham last year as they finished second

Alli began his career with local team MK Dons before leaving to join Tottenham in 2015

As much as his goals, Alli has also become known for the celebratory handshakes he performs with team-mate Son Heung-Min after scoring, which involve intricately rehearsed routines.

But Alli insists the South Korean forward is the one responsible: 'Son has one of those for everyone and he insists on doing each of them every morning when he comes into training,' he joked. 'It takes ages!'.

Tottenham challenged for the title for a second consecutive season last year but ultimately finished as runners-up, seven points off champions Chelsea.

�� A post shared by Dele (@delealli36) on Aug 2, 2017 at 12:00am PDT

Spurs remain the only Premier League side yet to sign anyone this window and manager Mauricio Pochettino admits it has been a 'difficult' summer in the transfer market.

But Alli believes Tottenham are on the brink of winning the league, though he admits they may need a couple of new additions to help them over the line.

'I think we're inches away from it. Maybe another player or two players is all we need,' he said.

Tottenham take on Juventus on Saturday at their temporary home Wembley in their final match of the pre-season before they begin their Premier League campaign with a trip to St James' Park to face newly-promoted Newcastle.

See the full shoot in the September issue of GQ, on sale on Thursday