Everton midfielder Dele Alli opens up on addiction and checking into rehab over summer

Dele Alli has revealed that he checked himself into rehab over the summer - after becoming addicted to sleeping tablets.

The midfielder was once regarded as one of the finest young talents in the Premier League. He helped England reach the World Cup semi-finals in 2018 and Tottenham Hotspur to the Champions League final a year later.

But Dele’s career went on a sudden downward trajectory. He fell out of favour at Tottenham, with managers Jose Mourinho, Nuno Espirito Santo and Antonio Conte unable to revive his career.

He then moved to Everton in January 2022 yet again failed to fire - while he made only 15 appearances during a season-long loan at Besiktas in 2022-23.

Dele, 26, had hip surgery in April and revealed that was the time he decided to make significant life changes. He spent six weeks in a rehabilitation clinic over the summer before returning to Everton. He’s now travelled with Toffees’ squad for their pre-season training camp in Switzerland.

Speaking to Gary Neville on The Overlap, a candid Dele said: “Now it probably the right time to tell people. It’s something I’ve hidden for a long time and I’m scared to talk about it but it’s the right thing to do.

“When I came back from Turkey and found out I needed an operation, I was in a bad place mentally. I decided to go to a modern-day rehab facility for mental health because I felt like it was time for me.

“I was caught in a bad cycle. I was relying on things that were doing me hard, waking up every day winning the right going into training, smiling and showing I was happy but inside I was losing it.

“When they told me I needed surgery, I could feel the feelings I had when the cycle begins and I didn’t want it to happen again. I went there for six weeks, Everton were amazing about it, they supported me 100% and I’ll be grateful to them forever. Whatever happens in the future, for them to be so open and honest and understanding, I couldn’t have asked for anything anymore at that time when I was making the biggest decision of my life.

“I’m happy I did it and couldn’t have expected it to go the way it did. It’s something that people don’t want to do, going into rehab sounds scary but I couldn’t have imagined how much I’d get from it and help me mentally because I was in a bad place. A lot happened when I was young I couldn’t understand and I was doing stupid things I blamed myself for but going there and learning about it, it was never in my control and it’s helped me with a lot of things to do with my blood family. I’ve let go of a lot of things that were holding me back.”