The good news for Dele Alli is that he is still going to the World Cup. Gareth Southgate said as much as he reflected on 10 days which saw his England team show huge improvement.
'Dele is a very important player,' said the manager, dismissing talk that Alli may be axed from the squad after losing his place in the starting line-up against Holland and Italy. However, Alli played only 22 minutes in those two friendlies, raising questions over his role this summer.
Raheem Sterling's emergence as a contender to be England's No 10 in Russia accentuated those doubts.