Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Dele Alli looks set to continue his meteoric rise as he makes his first England start against Lithuania tonight.

After arriving at White Hart Lane from League One side MK Dons in January, Alli has wasted little time in impressing England manager Roy Hodgson with some eye catching displays.

The 21-year-old made a brief cameo appearance in England’s 2-0 win against Estonia on Friday but Hodgson is keen to manage expectations of the youngster, who he believes can perform internationally.

Speaking to the Telegraph, Hodgson said: “I said to him that I’m pleased to have him here, he’s here on merit, and he can handle the pressures, but I did say to him that there’s a good chance you’ll be with the Under-21s the next time.”

A number of injuries to senior players have persuaded Hodgson to experiment with his selection and use the dead rubber fixture as an testing ground for his less experienced players.

Alli is expected to be among eight changes as the Three Lions attempt to end their campaign with an unblemished record. Spurs teammmate Kyle Walker, Jamie Vardy, Jack Butland and Phil Jones are expected to start.

The decision to include Alli has drawn criticism from those who feel the decision represents an easy call up for a player who has made just seven premier League appearances.

However, those seven outings have featured a goal against Leicester City and Alli is fast becoming an integral part of Mauricio Pochettino’s long-term plans for the north London club.

Alli and Tottenham return to Premier League action on Saturday with a tricky home game against Jürgen Klopp’s Liverpool in what will be the affable German's first game in charge.