What Dele Alli has done on the first day of Everton pre-season at Finch Farm

Dele Alli was among the first of the players to arrive back for Everton on the first day of pre-season this morning.

The Toffees reassemble at Finch Farm as preparations for the 2023-24 campaign begin. Sean Dyche's squad will undergo a day of testing and training and head off to a training camp on the Swiss-French border next week.

And posting on their live blog, Everton revealed that Dele has returned in good time. The post said: "Nathan Patterson, Dwight McNeil, Dele, Lewis Warrington, Lewis Dobbin and Tom Cannon are amongst the first of the players to arrive ahead of a day of testing and training."

Dele was once regarded as one of the most exciting young talents in the Premier League. He helped England to the World Cup semi-finals in 2018 and played a key role as Tottenham reached the Champions League final the following year.

But Dele's career has been on a downward trajectory in recent years. He fell out of favour at Spurs before joining Everton in January 2022. He made 11 outings as the Blues avoided Premier League relegation under Frank Lampard in 2021-22.

Last season, the midfielder was loaned to Besiktas but endured a difficult time. He scored three goals in 15 appearances for the Turkish side before returning to England in April as he required hip surgery.

Dele's future is somewhat uncertain heading into the upcoming campaign, however. Should Dele make 20 appearances for Everton - he currently sits on 13 - then the club will have to pay Tottenham a fee of £10 million. He has a year remaining on his Goodison Park contract.

Speaking in April on Dele, Dyche said: “We spoke about his injury, how he saw it, how he saw his time on loan and what he wants to do. I got the sense that he wants to be back playing football and playing well. First thing first is get the injury right. You can’t do anything when you’re injured.

“As regards football, anything else is down to him. He’s 27, he’s pretty well travelled in the football world and what he has achieved at a young age. Some of it is common sense – do the right things. And you know what the right things are.”