Alli had not played a single minute of senior football since as far back as February 2023, when he last featured for Besiktas, but his return did not go as he would have hoped at the San Siro. With Como trailing 2-1, Alli raked his studs down Ruben Loftus-Cheek’s standing leg from behind and was initially shown a yellow card for the challenge.

Dele Alli endured a nightmare return on his first competitive appearance in more than two years as he was sent off less than 10 minutes into his debut for Serie A side Como.