The Spurs midfielder went in with his studs on the shins of the Gent defender as tempers flared during the game at Wembley last month.
After a challenge not dissimilar to the one launched on Ireland’s Coleman by Neil Taylor of Wales on Friday, TV pundit Harry Redknapp said: “He could have snapped the boy’s leg, ended his career, it was that bad.”
That was precisely the sickening fate suffered by Coleman in Dublin. The Everton man has undergone surgery on a double break to his leg and is expected to be out at least until the end of the year.
Alli was quick to send his best wishes to Coleman after England’s 2-0 win over Lithuania and added in subdued tones that following the Dejaegere challenge he was initially worried he had done something similar to his opponent.
“It’s a shame to hear things like that happening, players getting injured like that,” Alli said.
“I feel sorry for Seamus and I wish him a speedy recovery,” said Alli.
“You go in for tackles and you don’t think something like that would happen. But when it does you feel horrible.
“Like my tackle against Gent, I felt relieved that nothing bad happened to the player. I didn’t go in to hurt the player, I went in for the ball but sometimes it can look a lot worse than what happened in your head.
“It was a horrible moment for me, something I’ve learned from straightaway. It is not about playing with less aggression, but how I react in different situations is something I am looking to improve.”
Coleman remains in hospital in Dublin after surgery to pin the broken tibia and fibula in his right leg.
Republic of Ireland manager Martin O’Neill visited his captain on Sunday and said: “It’s a major blow, not only for the player, but obviously for his family, people who were at the game watching that.
“But he just said that it has happened now, he can’t do anything about it and it’s what he does now in the next few months that is very, very important.
“He’s just beginning to come to terms with it. He’s still pretty down about it. He’s not in as much pain, the operation went very well and it’s just a matter of coming to terms with it.
“He’s very strong, he’s got a lot of good people around him, his family is very, very strong as well and he is positive that he will be back and as good as ever.”
