Dele Alli reveals he checked himself into rehab for addiction and almost retired at 24

Dele Alli has revealed he checked himself into a rehabilitation facility after becoming addicted to sleeping tablets.

In an interview with former Manchester United and England defender Gary Neville, Alli said he took the decision to confront his addiction after returning to England after injury cut short his loan spell at Turkish club Besiktas last season.

"It's tough to talk about because it's something I've hid for a long time," Everton midfielder Alli, 27, said in a candid and troubling appearance on The Overlap.

"I'm scared to talk about it.

"When I came back from Turkey I found out I needed an operation I was in a bad place mentally and I decided to go to a modern day rehab facility for mental health.

"They deal with addiction and trauma. I felt it was time for me.

"You can't be told to go there – you have to know and make the decision yourself or it's not going to work.

"I was caught in a bad cycle and things that were doing me harm."

I’m struggling to find the words to put with this post but please watch my most recent interview with Dele. It’s the most emotional, difficult yet inspirational conversation I’ve ever had in my life. Watch the interview on @wearetheoverlap here https://t.co/60d4IZwQmR pic.twitter.com/0cZowJGW77

Alli was heralded as a generational talent during his early days at Tottenham Hotspur, playing a star role as the club emerged as top-four contenders and reached a first Champions League final in 2019.

The previous summer, Alli was an integral part of the England team that reached the semi-finals at the 2018 World Cup in Russia and was tipped to go on to win major honours in club and international football.

But a downturn in form following Mauricio Pochettino's sacking at Tottenham in November