Dele Alli may 'never put on an Everton shirt again' after injury setback | OneFootball

Everton midfielder Dele Alli has been going through a difficult time at Goodison Park, and journalist Dean Jones has told GIVEMESPORT that he wonders whether we will see the former Tottenham Hotspur star ever playing football again.

Dele moved to Everton in January 2022 for a fee which could total £40m. The Toffees are yet to pay a penny for Dele due to the majority of the potential fee based on performance-related add-ons, and the 27-year-old has featured just 13 times for the Merseyside outfit. The £100k-a-week earner is yet to feature this season under Sean Dyche and currently finds himself on the treatment table.

There is no doubt that if Everton could have provided Dele a platform to reproduce some of the form we saw during his time at Spurs, it would have been a smart signing for the Toffees. However, it's been a tricky period for Dele for various reasons.

Dele has had off-the-pitch troubles

In 2023, Dele opened up to former Manchester United defender Gary Neville about his mental health struggles which will have had a major impact on his football career. The former MK Dons man spent six weeks in rehab to aid his recovery from a sleeping pill addiction, while also tackling other issues in his personal life.

Reports suggested after Dele had revealed his problems that Everton were hoping to renegotiate a deal with Tottenham to restructure the terms of the transfer. The Toffees will be forced to fork out £10m if Dele plays another seven games, something which they won't be able to afford. Everton might have hoped that Spurs would be willing to come to an agreement in order to allow the Merseyside club to utilise Dele more often.

However, back in January, it was confirmed that Dele had suffered another setback for his persistent groin injury. Dyche confirmed that Dele would require surgery once again, and despite the former Burnley manager refusing to put a timescale on a potential return, it's always going to take plenty of time to recover from an operation. With his contract expiring at the end of the season, it seems unlikely that he's going to be offered a new deal considering his lack of impact.

Dean Jones - Dele might not pull on a shirt again

Jones has suggested that he doesn't know whether we will see Dele pull on an Everton shirt again after his recent injury troubles. The journalist adds that as time goes on, he starts to wonder whether we will see him wearing the shirt of any club, possibly hinting that he could retire from the game. Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, Jones said...

Manchester United targeting Everton star

Given how impressive Jarrad Branthwaite has been for Everton this season, it will be no surprise if there is a queue of clubs looking to secure his signature in the summer transfer window. The 21-year-old has slotted in alongside James Tarkowski in the heart of Dyche's defence with ease, keeping experienced players out of the side.

According to i News, Manchester United are looking to alter their transfer strategy under the tutelage of Sir Jim Ratcliffe and will target players based on data while also eyeing younger talent. The report adds that Branthwaite is one of the players on United's shortlist ahead of the summer. With Everton's financial troubles worsening, they could be forced to offload a key talent, and Branthwaite would likely command a hefty fee.