Gary Neville says Dele Alli's heart would have been telling him to "break his nose" when he squared up to Ashley Young in Man United's clash with Tottenham.

The two England internationals had to be pulled apart after going head to head during the Premier League game at Old Trafford.

The argument was the feistiest moment of the first half, which concluded with the two sides level after they both failed to find the back of the net.

And Neville was quick to provide an insight into what he thinks would have been going through Alli's head in the heat of the moment.

Dele Alli and Ashley Young go head to head (
Image:
AFP)
The pair had to be pulled apart by teammates (
Image:
REUTERS)

"His heart would have been saying I want to break your nose his head would have been saying don't lose the game for my team," said Neville on Sky Sports.

The exchange was also discussed at the break, with both Ledley King and Graeme Sounes in full agreement that Alli needs to keep calm.

The incident was the feistiest moment from the first half of the game (
Image:
Getty)

"I thought he handled it really well," said King.

"After the incident I saw a few tackles go in on him, and I think they were trying to wind him up a little bit. But he's got to keep a cool head.

Neville spoke about the incident while providing Sky Sports commentary (
Image:
REUTERS)

Souness added: "They know he can be got at, he's got to control that.

"Some players need to be on the edge to get the best out of them, and I think he is one of them."

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