FIFA World Cup 2018: Dele Alli declares himself fit for clash against Colombia

Dele Alli has declared himself fit for the Round of 16 clash against Columbia. After training consistently for a week, the midfielder says he’s ready to go for the knockout stages.

 'Yeah. Obviously after the injury I was frustrated. I've been doing a lot of work and I'm back and ready to go,' Alli told Sky Sports, when asked if he could return against Jose Pekerman’s side. “It’s been difficult watching the team play well because you always want to be out there and a part of it, helping them. So I’m looking forward to being a part of it again”, he added.

The Tottenham Hotspur man sustained a thigh injury in the form of a strain in England‘s opening game against Tunisia. As a result, he missed both the group games that followed. The Englishman finished second in Group H, behind Belgium, who edged past them with a narrow 1-0 victory. According to Alli, his team hasn’t lost any rhythm.

'As players we support any decision the manager makes. We've come here with a big squad and everyone's fighting for their places. It was a great opportunity and I think the boys did well. I don't think we lost any momentum.' However, he acknowledged the fact that the Three Lions need to bounce back.

This England side has looked far more convincing than the ones in the recent past, courtesy of quicker legs in defence, set-piece threats and a lethal striker in Harry Kane. Alli believes that his team can go all the way and there is no need to panic. “We’ve come here with the mentality that we want to win it, and that we’re going to win it,” the 22 year old stated.

Apart from the unavailability of Fabian Delph and Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Gareth Southgate has a full squad to choose from. However, Dele Alli could feature on the bench.

A calf injury scare for James Rodriguez and the return of Deli Alli only means that England have a double boost heading into the pre-quarterfinal fixture on 3^rd July, Tuesday.