Alex Iwobi has revealed the struggles which Dele Alli faced during his time with Everton, explaining how the former Tottenham man's training ground efforts were his downfall on Merseyside.
The 37-times capped England international joined Everton in January 2022, with Frank Lampard bringing in the then 25-year-old from Spurs as the Toffees fought for their Premier League survival. However, he made just 11 league appearances for the club, falling out of favour with his manager before being moved on last summer.
Having joined Besiktas on loan, the attacking midfielder has struggled this season and reportedly went AWOL from the club in March having fallen out of favour with manager Senol Gunes. Alli denied these claims, and has since returned to England to work on an injury problem.
Having been tipped for greatness early on in his career, the now 27-year-old's fortunes have waned and he will return to Everton with his future at the top level looking increasingly uncertain. At the club during his short initial spell was Iwobi, who has overcome initial struggles of his own at Goodison Park to impress in a midfield role this season.
Iwobi, who is a month younger than Alli, spoke of his contemporary's struggle on Merseyside, revealing how his poor application in training was the problem during what was a tight Premier League relegation battle. He told FilthyFellas : "With him, he will say it himself, he isn't a training player. Unless it's a match in training and then you see Dele perform.
"When it comes to training matches, he is a joke. When it comes to drills - he tries, but because he's slow with it. When it comes to games, he will score and assist or something. It was hard for him to play. If you're not just doing it in training, and at the time, the manager needed reliable players. He couldn't really put his trust in him. We all know Dele could have performed."
Alli has previously been called out for his poor application, with the most notable instance being Jose Mourinho's damning assessment of the then- Tottenham man. On the Tottenham All Or Nothing documentary on Amazon Prime, Mourinho famously told Alli that he was 'lazy' in training and warned that it could be the downfall of his career.
At 27, Alli is in a crucial stage of his development, with this summer a crucial juncture in his career. With up to £40million due to Spurs based on how many appearances Alli makes for the club, however, Everton boss Sean Dyche has hinted at a future at the club for the player as they plot his next move.
Speaking in April, Dyche revealed conversations with the player, saying: "I just got a sense that he wants to be back playing football and playing well. Decisions will be made over the next few days over whether he needs an op or not.
"So there isn't anything other than getting him fit. I've heard all the noise, I've heard all the opinions and I'm pretty sure that you're aware that I like to make my own. But he needs to get fit."