Former Tottenham star Dele Alli sent defiant message after Como nightmare - 'Warriors don't quit'

Como president Mirwan Suwarso has defended Dele Alli and backed him to become a success in Italy despite a nightmare debut against AC Milan on Saturday.

The former Tottenham midfielder was sent off less than TEN minutes into his first appearance for Como at San Siro. After being introduced into the 81st minute, Dele was dismissed in stoppage-time for a late challenge on former England teammate Ruben Loftus-Cheek.

Once it became apparent that Dele was going to be handed a straight red card following a VAR review, Kyle Walker pleaded his case to referee Matteo Marchetti. But it was too little too late and Dele was given his marching orders, marking a terrible start to life at Como.

Unfortunate headlines have appeared on the back of Dele's forgettable cameo, but Como chief Surwarso is delighted to have the 28-year-old on board and believes he can be a success.

He has posted on social media: "The fire still burns. After nearly two years, Dele Alli stepped back onto the battlefield. It takes courage to keep going, to fight through doubt, to silence the noise, and to return, not just to play, but to compete at the highest level once again.

"Some will talk about the red card. Let them. We saw something else. We saw hunger. We saw resilience. We saw flashes of brilliance. And those of us who watch him train every day know.

"This is only the beginning. The road back is never easy, but warriors don’t quit. Keep going, Dele. Your best is yet to come. Semm Cumasch."

There was no such sympathy from ex-Arsenal and Chelsea midfielder Cesc Fabregas, who is the Como head coach. He slammed Dele for his "grave mistake" and "one that we should not see from a player of his experience."

In a post-match interview with DAZN, Fabregas said: "It was at that moment when Milan went 2-1 up and Sergi Roberto was meant to come on, but I’d prefer to give him another two weeks to train so he can be ready to start against Empoli.

"Dele Alli is a player who can score goals, he perhaps didn’t deserve this opportunity because he has only been working with us for two weeks and has a lot to improve.

"It is a grave mistake, one that we should not see from a player of his experience.

"It was a clear red card, there’s nothing to be said about that, he left the team down to 10 men during a crucial moment when we were pushing for 2-2. That is the most negative thing about this evening, but we keep going."