Everton suffer major injury blow as ‘powerful’ star endures further setback

Add as preferred source on Google

Dele Alli has suffered yet another injury setback – 17 months after his last Everton appearance.

Dele Alli joined Everton from Tottenham Hotspur in January 2022 as he looked to reignite his stagnating career.

The midfielder was expected to finally find some form at Goodison Park, but it wasn’t long before he was sent straight back out on loan to Besiktas.

Dele didn’t have much luck in Turkey either, making 15 appearances in all competitions before he was forced to return to Merseyside with a thigh problem.

The 27-year-old underwent surgery in the summer, before his name hit the media when he did an interview with Gary Neville for ‘The Overlap’ YouTube channel.

Dele spoke out about his mental health, sleeping pill addiction and his extremely difficult childhood that saw him deal drugs as a young boy.

Dele received huge praise and support following his interview, with many hailing him as ‘inspirational’ and ‘powerful’. Everton fans held banners up for him at Goodison Park, while there was a clear desperation to see him back in the pitch and at his best.

However, things haven’t improved for Dele since. The former England international remains on the sidelines and now looks to have suffered yet another setback.

Taking to social media, Dele wrote: “Unfortunately this year isn’t ending as I would have hoped. I had been close to returning to full training but frustratingly I’ve had another set back with my injury. I’ll be out again for a short while but my outlook and mentality is nothing but positive.

“I’ll be attacking my physiotherapy and giving it everything to be back on the pitch as soon as possible.”

Should Everton keep hold of Dele Alli?

Everton had been working on negotiations with Tottenham Hotspur to avoid paying £10 million if he makes another seven appearances, with his contract set to expire in the summer.

While his former club are eager to help him return to action with The Toffees, this injury setback makes things a lot more complicated.

Sean Dyche‘s side need to decide whether to keep Dele Alli on Merseyside as he continues his rehab, or let him go at the end of his contract.

There is a lot of promise that Dele could eventually get back to his best, but the former Tottenham man could well have been out of action for over a year by the time he makes his comeback.

It will be very difficult for him to get back to his best after that length of time on the sidelines, while Everton’s financial problems aren’t very forgiving off his struggles.