Dele Alli reveals bold target ahead of football comeback and has reminder on his phone at 11am every day as motivation
EVERTON midfielder Dele Alli has opened up about his return to football.
The 28-year-old has not played professionally in over a year.
He spent the 2022-23 campaign on loan at Besiktas in Turkey, but returned to England in April due to a hip injury.
Dele faced another setback at the end of last year and was forced to undergo surgery for a groin issue.
And while he is yet to return to the pitch, the Everton star has his sights set on a successful comeback.
Appearing on Monday Night Football this week, Dele was asked by Jamie Carragher about his next big target.
The former Tottenham ace responded: “I have a reminder on my phone. I have a reminder at 11am every day saying: World Cup 2026.
“So that’s my aim for now. I think people will be like ‘Oh he hasn’t played in a year,’ but I don’t care. I know where my level is.”
He continued: “My new target for now is the World Cup. Obviously I’m injured right now and signed for Everton.
“So my mind is just take it day-by-day, make sure my injury heals right. Make sure I’m in the best possible condition after summer.
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“It’s annoying because I’ll be just fully training as the season is ending.
“It’s annoying because as a player when you get close you want to push yourself and I think that’s maybe what happened the first time.
“I got too close and was like I’m there, let me just push it. I want to push on and push on and show that I’m there.
“Sometimes you just need to relax and be like okay, let’s not rush this.”
Football fans praised Dele for opening up about his mental health battles during his appearance on Monday Night Football.
He bravely opened up about his childhood trauma during an interview with Gary Neville last July.
Dele revealed: “I’m doing really well, it’s been nearly a year now.
“I’m feeling good, obviously injured which is disappointing. I think when I did that interview that I’d said it was the best I’d felt at that time, obviously coming out of rehab and getting ready to be back playing.
“It’s been tough but it’s a journey I’ve been on and I’m enjoying it and just waiting to get back now.
“The reaction and support that I got was obviously overwhelming. It was amazing to see how many people that did help and I’m definitely very proud of it.”