DELE DELAY
Dele Alli is ‘peed off’ as former England and Tottenham star suffers setback in bid to end two-year football exile
Dele set a target to return to the England team by 2026
DELE ALLI is said to be "peed off" after suffering another injury setback.
The midfielder last played competitively in February 2023 while on loan at Besiktas.
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The 28-year-old is officially without a club after his Everton contract expired last summer, though he has been training with the squad since then in the hopes of landing a new deal.
However, Dele has picked up a muscle injury which has impacted his ability to train.
And now manager Sean Dyche has lifted the lid on the Englishman's state of mind following his latest setback.
He said: "Dele has had a minor thing but he's just taking a time out because obviously he's had a few now and he's just peed off with it.
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"So, we're just monitoring that at the minute. He's abroad at the minute but working.
"It's just a break from coming in, you know what it's like, it grips you then, so we said: 'Yeah, yeah, of course'."
Dele was previously seen as a rising star of the England national team, having starred at Euro 2016 and the World Cup in Russia two years later, but fell out of form.
He previously revealed he had set a target of returning to the Three Lions for the 2026 World Cup.
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The ex-Tottenham star said: "You know you can set reminders on your phone, I have a reminder at 11 o'clock every day that says, 'World Cup 2026'.
"That's my aim for now. I think that people will be like, 'he hasn't played in a year' but I don't care, I know my level.
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"The only target I have is the World Cup right now.
"Obviously I'm injured and contracted to Everton and so my mind is just about taking it day by day and making sure my injury is healed and that I'm in the best possible condition after the summer.
"It's annoying because I'll be just fully training as the season ends so it means that I won't have to rush it."
Dele has played just 13 times for Everton, having originally joined them from Tottenham in 2022.
He previously opened up on his mental health struggles, including his childhood trauma and a sleeping pill addiction which he went to rehab for.
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