Mauricio Pochettino hailed Dele Alli after he played a starring role in Tottenham’s 2-0 win at Newcastle.
Alli scored the opening goal at St James’ Park just after the hour mark – 13 minutes after keeping his composure when stood on by Jonjo Shelvey, who was sent off.
The England star has shown a lack of discipline in the past but Spurs boss Pochettino believes Alli has proved he has matured.
“He is so mature now and accepts what can happen on the pitch,” Pochettino said during his post-match press conference.
“He was calm and it was important, because if you remember last season we talked about that; how we need to behave, to improve and learn.”
It was a fantastic start to the season for last term’s runners up, but Pochettino reiterated that they need to add to their squad before the transfer window closes.
“We need new players to bring some energy to the team and to challenge our best players – that’s always important,” he said.
“We need to sign some players. It’s important to improve the squad and to create competition.
“We have 10 months ahead, our competitions, and we will need a lot of energy, and more quality.”