‘Going to be’ - Dele Alli injury timeframe outlined as Everton update given

Sean Dyche has revealed that Everton are still 'miles away' from considering Dele Alli for selection.

The midfielder has returned to Goodison Park after spending last season on loan at Besiktas. He made 15 appearances for the Turkish side, scoring three goals, but returned to Merseyside in April as he required hip surgery.

Dele then attended a rehabilitation clinic in America over summer - and he subsequently admitted he had an addiction to sleeping pills while he was abused as a child.

The 27-year-old was previously one of the hottest young talents in Europe. He helped England reach the World Cup semi-finals in 2018 and Tottenham Hotspur to the Champions League final the following year. However, his career took a downward turn at Spurs before he opted to move to Everton in January 2022.

Should Dele make seven more appearances for the Toffees then a fee of £10 million must be paid to Tottenham.

But Dyche, speaking after Saturday's 1-0 pre-season victory over Sporting CP, revealed Dele is still not ready to feature for Everton.

The Goodison Park boss said: "He is still not over his injury yet. He is well in himself but he is not over his injury yet. We are miles away from that [thinking about role in squad], he is just getting himself right again, he is feeling good and now we will be working with him, on top of that, to make sure the injury is right. But it is still going to be a bit of time yet."