Dele Alli endures injury setback on road to long-awaited return with Everton

Dele Alli has endured another setback in the attempt to revive his Premier League career after undergoing surgery on a persistent groin injury.

The Everton midfielder last played a competitive game 11 months ago when sustaining a hip injury on loan at Besiktas. During his recovery from an operation to address that problem, Dele picked up a groin injury that has kept him out of Sean Dyche’s plans all season.

Everton had hoped the 27-year-old would be in contention to make a comeback this month but there is now no timescale on when the playmaker will return and the chances of Dele resurrecting his career with Everton appear remote.

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Dyche said: “Unfortunately he has required surgery. It was a bit of a debate on whether to or not, which is why it took some time. So now he’ll be recovering from that and there’s no timescale on it at this time. We’re just waiting for it developing and the early signs are good.”

Dele, who opened up on his traumatic childhood and sleeping pill addiction in an interview last summer, is out of contract at the end of this season.

Under the terms of his unusual transfer from Tottenham in January 2022, Everton would pay the first £10m of a potential £40m fee if Dele makes 20 appearances for the club. The former England international has featured 13 times, including 12 as a substitute, and his latest setback means it is increasingly unlikely that Spurs will receive any money for the player.

Everton will also be without André Gomes when they host Luton Town in the FA Cup on Saturday. The midfielder, who secured Everton’s place in the fourth round with the winner against Crystal Palace, has a calf injury. The influential Abdoulaye Doucouré is facing an extended spell out with another hamstring problem and the captain Séamus Coleman will be absent against Rob Edwards’s side with a similar injury.