Dele Alli confirmed as Sky Sports’ special guest for Monday Night Football – his first media appearance since his powerful interview with Gary Neville… with the midfielder yet to play for Everton this season
Sky Sports have confirmed that Everton midfielder Dele Alli will be their special guest on Monday Night Football in what will be his first media appearance since his powerful interview with Gary Neville on The Overlap.
The Toffees travel to take on Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Monday evening as Sean Dyche’s side look to put more distance between themselves and the relegation zone after being deducted two points from the Premier League last week for breaching winnings and sustainability rules.
Alli, who joined Everton from Tottenham in 2022, went on to make 13 appearances for the Toffees before being loaned out to Besiktas in August of the same year.
After a difficult loan spell at Turkish Super Lig, Alli returned to the Toffees in the summer of 2023, before opening up about several traumatic experiences he endured as a child and his struggle with a sleeping pill addiction in The Overlap with Gary. Marcel.
The 28-year-old has been praised for courageously speaking about his past and on Monday he will make his first media appearance since that powerful interview.
Sky Sports have revealed that Dele Alli will appear on Monday Night Football this week
Everton take on Chelsea at Stamford Bridge as they look to climb away from the relegation zone
It will be his first media appearance since his powerful interview with Gary Neville
Alli has been working towards a return to the pitch this season and featured in the first team at the end of last year after appearing to have overcome a long-term groin injury that had plagued him during his time at Besiktas.
Despite this, he has been hampered by several injuries and while there was some optimism among Everton fans last year that he was working towards a return to the field, he revealed on his social media that he would be ruled out for the time being due to injury. future.
Alli wrote on social media: ‘As the year draws to a close, I wanted to thank you for the incredible support I have received over the past twelve months.
‘This year has been a little different for me, I have learned and experienced a lot, had ups and downs, but through it all you have always shown me so much love.
‘Unfortunately the year does not end as I had hoped. I was close to returning to full training, but frustratingly I suffered another setback due to my injury.
‘I’ll get out again [a] It will only be a short time, but my outlook and mentality are only positive.
‘I’m going to attack my physiotherapy and do everything I can to get back on the field as soon as possible.
Everton’s Dele Alli has revealed another injury setback just as he approaches a return to action
The midfielder revealed in a New Year’s message on Instagram that he had a new problem
The England international has been struggling with a groin injury and has not played since February, when he was loaned to Turkish club Besiktas
“I hope you had the year you wanted and wish you all nothing but the best for 2024.”
Earlier this season, Sean Dyche spoke out about Alli’s fitness issues, saying it would be ‘very nice’ to have him back after his off-field problems.
“He’s still got a while to go because he’s been out for a long time,” Dyche said in December. “He needs a game show, but it would be really nice for him to get him back working with us because he’s been so unlucky.”
While it remains to be seen whether he will return to play for the Toffees this season, it appears he has been working hard behind the scenes to return to full fitness.
He posted several photos of himself to Instagram in March, working out in what appeared to be a cryo chamber at the gym. He also added an inspiring caption to the photos.
Alli posted several photos of himself on Instagram working on his fitness while recovering
He captioned the post: “Rest, restart and concentrate as much as you need. You are your own biggest project. Never give up.’
‘Rest, restart and concentrate as often as you need. You are your own biggest project. Never give up,” Alli wrote.
Earlier this week, his former Tottenham teammate Eric Dier admitted he ‘wished he had done more’ to help Alli.
“It’s hard for me to talk about Dele,” he continued The overlapis sponsored by Sky bet.
He added: ‘I’m disappointed I didn’t do more. In a lot of situations that I look back on, I wasn’t aware of the full picture and there’s a lot of things.
‘I was that annoying older person, I was always on his case so he would hide things from me, or tell me something but only give 20% of it.
“I have a lot of regrets and there were times when I wish I did more.”
The 28-year-old midfielder had emerged as one of the greatest players in English football. He had been in foster care as a child and revealed some harrowing details from his childhood during his interview with Neville, including an incident where he was abused by a friend’s mother.
Dier expressed regret after learning of Alli’s struggles and finds it difficult to talk about him
Alli has made just thirteen appearances for Everton, with his most recent appearance coming in August 2022
“(My childhood is) something I honestly haven’t talked about that much. I mean, I think there were a few incidents that could give you a little bit of insight,” Alli continued.
‘So when I was six, I was molested by my mother’s boyfriend, who was around the house a lot. My mother was an alcoholic, and that happened at six o’clock. I was sent to Africa to learn discipline, and then I was sent back.
‘I started smoking at seven, and at the age of eight I started dealing drugs. An older person told me they wouldn’t stop a kid on a bike, so I rode around with my football, and underneath I had the drugs, which were eight of them. Eleven, I was hung from a bridge by a man from the next estate, a man.”