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Alli out of Bournemouth clash, says Spurs boss Mourinho

FILE PHOTO: Premier League - Sheffield United v Tottenham Hotspur

(Reuters) - Tottenham Hotspur will be without midfielder Dele Alli for their trip to Bournemouth on Thursday as he continues to recover from a hamstring injury, manager Jose Mourinho said on Wednesday.

Alli, who has had a history of hamstring problems, missed Spurs' 1-0 home victory against Everton on Monday and has not recovered in time to face Eddie Howe's side, who sit second from bottom with 27 points, four adrift of safety.

"It's a small injury but he's not ready for tomorrow. He's had a sad history with hamstring injuries so he has to be careful. We cannot risk it when he has a little problem there," Mourinho told reporters in a virtual news conference.

Spurs defender Eric Dier was banned for four games and fined by the FA over a confrontation with a fan after the London side's defeat by Norwich City in the FA Cup fifth round in March.

When asked to comment on Dier's ban, Mourinho remained tight-lipped.

"No reaction. If I answer I'm going to be in trouble and I don't want to be, so I have no comments about that," he said.

Kyle Walker-Peters has impressed during his loan spell at Southampton and Mourinho said he would not stand in the way of the 23-year-old defender if he expressed his desire to leave Spurs, who are eighth in the standings with 48 points.

"He's a kid that everyone loves here and (chairman) Daniel Levy has a special feeling for," said Mourinho. "He came here so young, so is a kid who has been here for years and years. He's playing well.

"I'm not in control of the transfer decisions but the general feeling is there's a place for him here. If his desire is to leave the club in search of happiness I don't think we'd stop him."

(Reporting by Arvind Sriram in Bengaluru; Editing by Alex Richardson)