Mauricio Pochettino believes Dele Alli’s sparkling form proves he is right not to “kill” the Tottenham midfielder when he loses his temper.

Alli, who turns 21 on Tuesday, has 19 goals in all competitions for Spurs and will be a strong contender to be PFA Player of the Year, as well as for the Young Player of the Year award he won last season.

For all Alli’s brilliance, his behaviour is sometimes questionable – yet Pochettino has never criticised him publicly for his indiscipline, notably the red card for a dangerous tackle on Gent midfielder Brecht Dejaegere during a Europa League match at Wembley in February.

The Spurs manager says the pair have a father-son relationship and recalled: “I remember that people criticised me for different reasons. They kill me, kill him, but time has shown that we are right to support him, and to give love, because he is so young.

“This character is perfect for a player. When you are winning and you feel that to lose on the pitch is like losing your life, those are the qualities we want in a player. He needs to improve, but he needs love.

“It’s not about punishing him. I always knew from day one that the relationship would be tough. It was friendly, lovely, but tough too. It’s like when you have a son. You love him, but sometimes you have to be tough.”

Alli has signed two new contracts since making his debut for Tottenham in August 2015, and will surely be rewarded with another during the summer.

He is coveted by some of Europe’s wealthiest clubs but Tottenham are confident they will keep him. It is no surprise that Alli is in demand.

He is often compared with Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard, but after 50 Premier League matches, Alli had more goals and assists than the former England pair combined.

“If he is not the best young player in Europe, he is one of the best,” added Pochettino. “Look at his age and his statistics. His potential is massive.

“Because he is so young, he can improve a lot, he can learn a lot. He gets better and more mature every day. He is improving his skills and also his character.”