Former Tottenham star Dele Alli has been handed a career lifeline after being named in a matchday squad for the first time in two years.
Alli, 28, is now in contention to feature for the Italian side in their Serie A clash against Roma on Sunday afternoon.
He has endured a difficult period in his journey as a professional since leaving Spurs permanently in 2022.
After signing for the north London side as a teenager from MK Dons, Dele became an integral part of Mauricio Pochettino’s plans in a side that reached the Champions League final in 2019.
But after Pochettino was sacked following a poor run of results to begin the following season, Dele struggled under his successors Jose Mourinho, Nuno Espirito Santo and Antonio Conte.
Despite moving to Everton on a free transfer in January, the playmaker also struggled to make an impact on Merseyside, failing to score or assist in 13 games before he was loaned to Besiktas.
But Dele was given a fresh start in January when he was signed by Como although his manager – former Arsenal and Chelsea midfielder Cesc Fabregas was cautious over how much he would be involved.
Fabregas said: ‘I don’t want to put extra pressure on him, he hasn’t played for months’.
Having trained with Como since Christmas, he is now in contention to make his first appearance for the club on Sunday.
It would the first time he has made a professional start since February 2023, when appeared for Besiktas.
In July 2023, he spoke about becoming addicted to sleeping pills during his time in Turkey.
Dele said: ‘Now is the right time for me to tell people what’s been going on’.
‘It’s tough to talk about because it’s something I’ve hid for a long time. I’m scared to talk about it.
‘When I came back from Turkey I found out I needed an operation I was in a bad place mentally and I decided to go to a modern day rehab facility for mental health.
‘They deal with addiction and trauma. I felt it was time for me. You can’t be told to go there – you have to know and make the decision yourself or it’s not going to work.
‘I was caught in a bad cycle and things that were doing me harm.’
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