Paul Merson insists that England must axe Tottenham Hotspur ace Dele Alli against Sweden.
Paul Merson insists that Tottenham Hotspur ace Dele Alli must be dropped by England in their World Cup quarter-final on Saturday.
The attacking midfielder missed two of his nation’s three group games due to a thigh injury, but did start in the penalty shootout win over Colombia in the last 16.
However, pundit Merson is convinced that the 22-year-old was a “passenger” against Colombia in midweek and has suggested that Lions manager Gareth Southgate has to axe him from the starting XI.
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“Gareth Southgate has got to let this Dele Alli thing go now,” Merson wrote in his column for the Daily Star.
“He’s not fit. Why is he playing? He was a passenger for the whole game on Tuesday. He can’t start against Sweden.
“I would bring Eric Dier back in. He was poor when he came on, but we need to get back to being solid. Don’t give Sweden anything easy. Make sure we’re as tight as possible.
Sky Sports have reported that Alli will train on Thursday with England to give them a fitness boost, with Jamie Vardy the only serious doubt for the Sweden showdown.
Alli was not quite at his flowing best in the tight victory over Colombia and was substituted off in normal time, but he remains a key figure in the England group.
The Tottenham play-maker was directly involved in 31 goals for Spurs in all competitions last season and it would be a brave decision to omit him against Sweden.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek or Fabian Delph would be the obvious replacements for him in the side and it will intriguing to see which way Southgate leans.
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