'Feeling great!' - Dele Alli closing in on long-awaited Everton return as Sean Dyche offers fresh update on former Tottenham midfielder

The 27-year-old midfielder has not taken in a competitive appearance of any kind for over nine months – with his last outing coming during a forgettable loan spell at Besiktas on February 26. He has started only one game for Everton since joining them from Spurs in January 2022, while a thigh problem has kept him on the sidelines of late after being forced to undergo surgery.

Dele is working his way back into contention at Goodison Park, though, with Toffees boss Dyche saying when asked for an update on the 37-cap England international: “He is going well. He is back on the grass with the sports science and fitness coaches, going through football related drills, but the actual freedom to come and join in with us is not there yet. Hopefully over the next week he will start slowly blending in [with the first team squad]. He still has a bit to go because he has been out for a long time, he needs a game programme, but to get him back on with us would be really pleasing for him because he has been so unlucky. The last time, 12-13 weeks ago, when he was going to join us he was so unlucky with the damage that was done. But the good news is that everything is settling down and he is feeling good. I saw him earlier and he said, ‘yes, I’m feeling great’.”

Dele is only under contract at Everton through to the end of the 2023-24 campaign, meaning that he could hit free agency next summer. He may have cost the Toffees nothing by that point, with the first instalment of a complicated £30 million ($38m) deal that was struck with Spurs not due to be paid until he has made a further seven appearances.

He may get the chance to move towards that mark over the remainder of the season, with Everton having seven more games to take in before the end of the calendar year – including a Premier League home date with Newcastle on Thursday and a Carabao Cup quarter-final clash with Fulham on December 19.