Former MK Dons manager Karl Robinson has called on people to leave Dele Alli alone as he is "sick of people having a go at him".
The Tottenham Hotspur midfielder, who came through the ranks at the Stadium MK, came under fire following a middle-finger gesture he made while on England duty against Slovakia.
Robinson, his former coach, acknowledges that Alli should not have done what he did, but is unhappy with the nation "looking to nail him to the mast".
The Charlton Athletic boss is quoted by BBC Sport as saying: "I'm sick of people having a go at him. Just leave him alone. The kid just wants to play football.
"What he did probably wasn't right. But he sees that football pitch as how he saw his old school playground. That's how he plays. He plays free. That's how he plays.
"It's typical of us, though, isn't it. He's made one or two little mistakes and everybody in the country is looking to nail him to the mast. He's done what has done and he'll learn his lesson. I will always back him."
Alli came through the ranks at MK Dons, making his first-team debut in 2012 and becoming one of their standout players before being sold to Spurs in 2015.
Giuseppe Labellarte
