Dele Alli returns to first-team training with Everton as the midfielder is pictured chatting to his team-mates while taking part in several drills at Finch Farm as he targets his first Toffees appearance in over a year

Dele Alli is back in Everton training this week as the Toffees midfielder looks to make his first appearance for the club in more than a year.

The 27-year-old moved to the Merseyside club in January 2022 and went on to make 13 appearances for the Blues before joining Besiktas on loan in August that year.

Alli returned to Everton this summer after a difficult spell in the Turkish Super Lig, before admirably coming to terms with his struggle with a sleeping tablet addiction brought on by various childhood traumas.

The England midfielder has not played since February and has been working to overcome a long-term groin injury in recent months.

Alli was pictured returning to training on his own over the summer, with Sean Dyche welcoming him back to the club.

The Toffees midfielder was seen hugging some of his teammates while also working out in the gym

After not playing since February, Alli is looking forward to a return to the field and is ramping up his training programme

Everton fans had also welcomed the midfielder, with a banner at Goodison Park during their 1-0 defeat to Fulham earlier this season which read: 'We are with you, Dele. Together we are stronger.'

Although he is yet to feature under Dyche, it appears he has taken another step forward in his return to the field. Alli is photographed with his teammates during training for the Toffees this week.

The attacker took part in various exercises on the training pitches together with his colleagues, while he also worked in the gym with a medicine ball.

He was also pictured hugging Abdoulaye Doucoure, who scored to help Everton to a 2-0 win against Chelsea on Sunday.

Ahead of Everton's win against Newcastle last Thursday, Dyche provided an update on Alli's progress and claimed he would be joining the group in the coming week.

“He's doing well,” the Everton manager said at a press conference.

'He is back on the grass with the sports science and fitness side and doing football-related exercises, but the actual freedom to join us is not yet there.

Alli has been struggling with a long-term injury, with Sean Dyche recently claiming he would be a long way from returning to first-team action.

Alli returned to Everton in the summer after a difficult loan spell in Turkey with Besiktas

There has also been speculation that Everton are hoping to renegotiate the complex deal they agreed with Tottenham to sign him.

'Hopefully he will start slowly over the next week. He still has a while to go, because he has been out for a while, he needs a game program, but to get him back to work with us would be very nice for him. because he's had so much bad luck.'

Everton had signed Alli from Tottenham in a complex deal that could see the Toffees pay the London team £10 million once the midfielder has made 20 appearances for his new club.

So far, Alli is seven games away from that milestone, and it was recently claimed that the Blues could possibly hope to renegotiate that arrangement, with Dyche hinting that the club's director of football, Kevin Thelwell, had been talking to Tottenham behind the scenes spoken. scenes.

“Thelwell has had a few calls, just in the background,” Dyche said in November. Look, where do you see it?' Dyche said. “But nothing has changed at this point.”