November 24, 2024
Dele Alli has hinted at his intention to play football again after being sidelined by injury for the whole of this season. Dele, who did not play in 2023–24 has discussed his journey to physical and mental healing on Sky Sports Monday Night Football after a difficult few years.
This was Dele’s first interview since he revealed this summer on The Overlap with Gary Neville that he had gone to rehab due to a sleeping medication addiction and mental health difficulties following a disastrous loan at Besiktas in 2023. When we spoke, the 28-year-old was getting over those issues, but a persistent groyne ailment has kept him off the pitch for the time being.
Dele said: “I’ve had to be patient and really learn what patience is. It’s been a long journey with the [groin] injury.
“A lot of ups and downs and it’s helped me grow as a person. I’m not thankful to be injured but to have this opportunity to get to know myself. I think the pain of the injury is something I can channel when I am back and use it to motivate me.
“After the interview a lot of people asked me ‘when are you coming back to football’ and they thought I was taking a break. It’s just been an injury problem, one that I’m hopefully getting to the end of. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel and I’m excited.”
Dele earned his senior England debut in October 2015, at the age of 19, just five months after joining MK Dons in League One. However, because to a decline in his club career, he has not added to his 37 caps since June 2019, about five years ago. With his Everton contract expiring at the end of the season, Dele is set to become a free agent this summer.
Expecting to be fully fit soon, this could be an excellent opportunity for him to start over somewhere new and begin his career while he is still young enough to enjoy a few more years as a professional at a reasonable level. One former Everton scout recently recommended dropping down to the EFL.
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