Dele Alli return update provided by Everton boss Sean Dyche with midfielder back training

Everton manager Sean Dyche has said Dele Alli is not ready to return to match action despite the midfielder being back in training. The Toffees go to Tottenham on Saturday, looking to bounce back from their horror start which saw them beaten 3-0 at home by Brighton.

Alli has not played for Everton since August 2022, when he went out on loan to Besiktas.

He returned to Merseyside last summer, but failed to make an appearance for the club in the 2023/24 campaign due to a groin injury.

And in his pre-match press conference, Dyche was pressed on the availability of the former England international. "He is not ready to play yet, he has not played in a long time," he replied.

Asked if the 28-year-old was keen to stay at the club, Dyche said: "Well we haven't gone down that road yet because he's not ready to play yet. You have to be able to play to know what the future holds."

The manager did confirm Alli was taking part in training, and would be considered for games behind closed doors before a decision was made on his return. The player is technically a free agent after his contract expired last summer, but has been allowed to continue his rehabilitation at Finch Farm as well as participating in team sessions.

And prior to his media conference, Dyche had already been adamant that he wouldn't be throwing Alli back in at the deep end after so long without competitive football. "Don’t forget he’s hardly had any actual football, as in games, for a long time," he said.

"There is a games programme still, as well. It’s not just a case of getting fit and running around with the first-team group, then he needs games, so therefore a games programme has got to come next.

"When you’ve been out that long you need a period of building up and getting to true fitness. That could take three or four games. It’s a bit like an extended pre-season, let’s say.”

Alli joined Everton from Spurs in January 2022, initially on a free transfer but with the potential for the deal to rise to as much as £40million. And the conditions of the deal were reported to potentially hinder any attempt from the Merseyside club to resign him this summer. 

According to The ECHO, the two clubs have been in discussion over revising the terms of their initial deal. Alli previously spent six and a half years at Tottenham, scoring 67 times in 212 appearances.