Dele Alli has set his sights on a place in the England squad at the 2026 World Cup as he targets a return to top-level football.

The midfielder is facing an uncertain future at Everton as he moves into the final months of his deal at Goodison Park.

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Alli captured the hearts of the football world last summer as he revealed his harrowing experiences that led to him suffering mental health problems.

While admitting that ‘there’s light at the end of the tunnel’ after saying that he ‘feels good’ at the moment, a troublesome groin injury has stopped him from kickstarting his football career.

The 28-year-old has not featured for Everton at all this season and with just a few weeks until the end of the campaign, it means that his future at Goodison Park is far from certain.

When asked about his future on Monday Night Football, Alli said: “I spoke about it in my interview and don’t want to go over it too much again – but I know my level as a player and what I can get to.

“I know how good I can be when my head is in the right place and I’m feeling good. Obviously I’m disappointed with the injury right now but I’m excited to get playing.

“It’s hard for me to even watch football. It’s been tough for me, I’d say, this past eight months has been hard to watch.”

Asked if he’d like to get back to the level he was before, Alli said: “I hope so.

“You know you can set reminders on your phone, I have a reminder at 11 o’clock every day that says, ‘World Cup 2026’. That’s my aim for now.

“I think that people will be like, ‘he hasn’t played in a year’ but I don’t care, I know my level.

“The only target I have is the World Cup right now. Obviously I’m injured and contracted to Everton and so my mind is just about taking it day by day and making sure my injury is healed and that I’m in the best possible condition after the summer.

“It’s annoying because I’ll be just fully training as the season ends so it means that I won’t have to rush it.”

Discussing potential Premier League interest, Alli said: “I’m signed to Everton so I think it’d be disrespectful to say anything else while I’m here.

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“They’ve been so amazing with me and I don’t know if it’s off the cards being there next season so I won’t talk about any of that because they’ve been amazing and I don’t know the details of the situation but I want to stay in the Premier League and be at the highest level and playing against the best players.”

He added: “It’s exciting. Some players might panic and think, ‘I’m out of contract in the summer’ but this is a great opportunity to show myself and show what an amazing story it has been and what it’s going to continue to be.

“Going through this just means that when I do get back to the top it’ll be even better so I just want to get there.”