Everton midfielder Dele Alli's former manager has encouraged him to “keep working hard” as he looks to return to the England squad.
Dele, whose contract with Everton expires this summer, has not played in the Premier League since August 2022 and was last capped for England against Switzerland in June 2019.
Last summer, the 29-year-old revealed that he was sexually abused at the age of six, turned to drug sales at just eight, and suffered mental health problems later in life. He also opened up about his addiction to sleeping pills, which led to him being admitted to a rehabilitation clinic.
Dele said that going public with his issues was part of a process that allowed him to learn important lessons about himself, which ultimately helped him get through the testing period of his injury.
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He has not played since his loan spell at Besiktas was cut short two years ago due to a back problem, but a groin problem has prevented him from returning to the Everton squad.
Dale has been working to get back to his best after peaking in his youth at Tottenham and revealed last month that he is aiming to return to the England squad for the 2026 World Cup.
“I have a 2026 World Cup reminder on my phone every day at 11 o'clock,” he told Sky Sports.
“People will say, 'He hasn't played a year,' but that's my goal. I know where my level is.”
Dele Alli says 'it's time to stop talking' amid England ambitions
And former MK Dons manager Karl Robinson spoke about Dele's arrival at Spurs as a teenager.
“Tottenham was the perfect environment for him,” he told talkSPORT. “There was evidence of his meteoric rise.
“What Mauricio? [Pochettino] It was great working with him at Tottenham and we reached the Champions League final.
“Everyone has backstories and problems in life, and when we experience hardship, it can come back to haunt us. Some people have different coping mechanisms, others have better coping mechanisms. Some people.
“In Dele's case, it was something he had to deal with personally. Then he came back and got injured and will probably be delayed for another 12 months.
“For me, Dele tried to be an individual and from that moment everything went wrong.
“He went to rehab clinics in America and tried to personalize the mental health conditions he had. It all started to come out. At that moment, no one knew where Dele was in his life. I didn't know either.
Robinson acknowledged that Dele is working hard and added that he should keep his head down to improve his fitness.
“It's time to stop talking about this,” he continued. “He needs to have a good summer with a proper pre-season and all his talk and positivity is great.
“More than anything, I'm happy to see him happy. If he could go do what he loves now, I'd be even happier.
“I know he works hard, I know he has a little problem between his teeth, and I know he wants to be successful. I know there's facing adversity and we all have it, so there's going to be an element of fear.
“The important thing for me is to stand there, hold my head high and give it my all, and success will follow.”
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