Hope for Dele Alli? Injury-ravaged midfielder ‘back on the grass’ at Everton as former Tottenham star tries to earn new contract with Toffees

The former Tottenham man has been struggling for over a year with injury but looks set to finally return in the 2024-25 season. Dele is currently a free agent but is believed to be in contention to renew his stay at Everton. Head coach Sean Dyche has given an update on the 28-year-old, and the news is positive.

Speaking to reporters about Dele's progress, Dyche said: "Yeah he’s just getting back on the grass again, so building up again from another minor sort of injury. But unfortunately it cost him a bit more time and he’s just getting on with trying to get fit."

Dele's last competitive appearance came in February 2023 for Besiktas. The ex-England man has always had the quality and potential to thrive, which he showed at Spurs. But issues on and off the pitch have set his career back massively and it remains a long road back for the man from Milton Keynes.

There is still no official return date for Dele but there is no doubt Everton will consider keeping him around if he can get back up to the required level. If he does sign a new contract, it may only be short-term as a trial of sorts for the former Spurs star, who has expressed his ambition to earn an England recall in time for the 2026 World Cup.