Dele Alli has suffered an injury setback.
That’s according to journalist Henry Winter, who has reported that the Everton midfielder is expected to be sidelined for a few more weeks.
Dele hasn’t made an appearance for the Toffees since a 2-1 defeat to Aston Villa in August of last year, before he saw his loan spell with Besiktas cut short due to injury.
The 27-year-old made 15 appearances in Turkey but was forced to return to Merseyside in April before undergoing hip surgery.
Dele has since revealed on The Overlap’s YouTube channel that he checked into a rehabilitation clinic in America this summer – admitting he had an addiction to sleeping pills and also recalling the traumatic events of his childhood that have had an impact on his career in football.
The midfielder received plenty of support from across the world and fans were hopeful that he could find his feet again this season, however he will have to wait a little longer to do so.
Sean Dyche recently revealed that Everton are ‘miles away’ from considering Dele for selection as he looks to recover, while Winter has now claimed the former Tottenham Hotspur man has been left frustrated by his latest setback as he was previously ‘doing well’ in training.
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Dele Alli can bring something that Everton lack once he returns from injury
Dele Alli will have to be patient if he wants to work his way into the Everton starting line-up after 4-5 months out – especially with the £10 million fee for another seven appearances looming over his head.
Fans may have to wait until the second half of the Premier League campaign to see much of an impact from the midfielder, but he could well be exactly what they need when it all gets a bit tight in the bottom half of the table after Christmas.
Everton will be very hard to beat this season and probably won’t ship in too many goals, however it seems pretty obvious that they will once again struggle at the other end of the pitch.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin needs more service than what he is likely to get and Dele could be the key to unlocking the striker if he is given a chance in the middle of the park.
The 27-year-old chipped in with goals and assists during his time at Spurs and could still be a very important player at Goodison Park.