Dele Alli faces yet more time on the sidelines after breaking down again in his long recovery from the hip problem he suffered while on loan at Besiktas last spring.
The one-time England sensation had his loan spell in Turkey cut short by the injury and he underwent surgery to correct the problem in the hope of returning to fitness by the autumn.
In parallel, he revealed that he had made a significant breakthrough with regard to his mental health after receiving treatment and counseling in the United States, offering hope that he might be able to return to his best form providing he could achieve full fitness.
Dele was on course to return to full training with the Everton squad in September but suffered a set-back and was again close to completing his rehabilitation this past month, even joining in some sessions with the rest of the senior squad at Finch Farm.
However, rumours of him sustaining further injury emerged before Christmas and his latest message to Instagram backed those up, albeit without any specifics:
“As the year comes to an end, I just wanted to say thank you for the incredible support I’ve received over the last 12 months.
“This year has a been a little different for me. I’ve learned and experienced a lot, had ups and downs, but throughout it all you’ve always shown me so much love.
“Unfortunately the year isn’t ending as I would have hoped. I had been close to returning to full training but frustratingly I’ve had another setback with my injury.
“I’ll be out again for a short while but my outlook and mentality is nothing but positive. I’ll be attacking my physiotherapy and giving it everything to be back on the pitch as soon as possible.
“I hope you’ve had the year you wanted, and wishing you all nothing but the best for 2024. Happy New Year, see you guys soon.”
Dele’s news throws fresh doubt on whether he will play for Everton again. The 27-year-old’s contract is up in the summer at which point both he and the club would have to make an important decision on his future.
He can play six more games for the Toffees before a £10m payment to Tottenham Hotspur is triggered but if there are any doubts over his ability to return to full and consistent fitness, it may not be a risk Everton are prepared to take unless Spurs agree to restructure the terms of the deal that brought Dele to Goodison Park almost two years ago.
Preliminary talks between the two clubs have been held but no agreement has yet been reached, although unsubstantiated press reports last month claimed that Spurs had offered to lower the first tranche to £8m but in return for lowering the threshold at which that first payment would kick in from the previously agreed 20 appearances.