Dele Alli has broken his silence after a nightmare debut for Como that saw him sent off just 10 minutes into his return to football.
The 28-year-old midfielder had waited two years on the sidelines before making his first appearance for the Italian club.
His comeback quickly turned to disaster during Saturday's match against AC Milan at the San Siro.
Alli has now shared his thoughts on the incident that cut short his long-awaited return to action.
Dele Alli has broken his silence after a nightmare debut for Como that saw him sent off just 10 minutes into his return to football
REUTERS
The midfielder was initially shown a yellow card for a foul on Ruben Loftus-Cheek in stoppage time.
However, following a VAR review, the referee upgraded the punishment to a straight red card.
The dismissal came at a crucial moment in the match against AC Milan.
It was a devastating blow for Alli, who had been waiting for this opportunity to restart his career after two years away from competitive football.
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Dele Alli took to social media to reveal his text messages to Ruben Loftus-Cheek
Taking to Instagram, the former Tottenham and Everton star wrote: "2 years! Not necessarily how I planned it, but we keep moving."
"I was always going to announce my return in some way after these past 2 years, would rather it had been with a goal but feels good to be back."
Alli also shared a text exchange with Loftus-Cheek, telling him: "Pic looks bad tho, I just tried to clip ur heel. When the ref went to var I didn't even know it was for me."
The former Chelsea midfielder replied: "Bro I had no clue. I stayed down coz I was blowing."
Como manager Cesc Fabregas showed little sympathy for Alli's situation.
"Dele Alli is a player who can score goals," Fabregas told DAZN.
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"He perhaps didn't deserve this opportunity because he has only been working with us for two weeks and has a lot to improve."
The Spanish coach was particularly critical of the red card incident.
"It is a grave mistake, one that we should not see from a player of his experience," he said.
"It was a clear red card, there's nothing to be said about that, he left the team down to ten men during a crucial moment."
Dele Alli had waited two years to return to football prior to being sent off for Como
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Despite Alli's dismissal, Como had initially taken the lead through Lucas Da Cunha.
AC Milan fought back in the second half with goals from Christian Pulisic and Tijjani Rejinders to secure a 2-1 victory.
The result was disappointing for Como, who were pushing for an equaliser when Alli received his red card.
Fabregas concluded his assessment by saying: "That is the most negative thing about this evening, but we keep going."
