Tottenham have confirmed that Dele Alli is ‘back in training’ ahead of Sunday’s meeting with Newcastle. The 23-year-old has been struggling with a hamstring injury, but he’s finally on the recovery trail and could soon be available for selection.
Alli faces a race to make the matchday squad against Newcastle, however, as he may currently be short of match fitness. The midfielder missed Spurs’ first two Premier League games against Aston Villa (3-1) and Manchester City (2-2). Upon his return, he may struggle with the added competition in the engine room.
The England international has Giovani Lo Celso, Moussa Sissoko, Tanguy Ndombele and Harry Winks for competition. He didn’t set the place alight last season either – posting his lowest ever goal/assist return in the league (8) – so Alli has a lot to prove to Mauricio Pochettino.
Nevertheless, he’ll give the Tottenham manager variety in the middle-third and can be a useful player when in form – Alli has contributed 102 goals in 184 games since joining the Lilywhites from MK Dons in 2015. His return isn’t too far away, but Sunday’s clash with Newcastle might be too soon.
Pochettino has used Ndombele, Sissoko and Winks in midfield so far, so he has plenty of options in Alli’s stead.