Dele Alli admits THAT hand gesture was inspired by Jamie Vardy's kids

Dele Alli has revealed he takes a good luck charm with him everywhere – and he obtained it from the unlikely source of a Russian taxi driver.

Alli injured his hamstring in England's opening World Cup win over Tunisia and as he headed off in a cab for a scan in St Petersburg, the driver offered him a present.

'As I got out, the taxi driver gave me a bracelet and said it was good luck,' Alli told the Standard. The scan showed minimal damage and he was able to return for the knockout stages as England reached the semi-finals.

'So I've kept it,' admitted Alli. 'I don't wear it but I keep it in my washbag.'

Alli has taken the bracelet with him to St George's Park this week as the England squad met up for the first time since Russia in preparation for their inaugural Nations League game against Spain on Saturday, and then the friendly with Switzerland next Tuesday.

It is just the latest of several superstitions Alli adheres to, including the distinctive tape he wears on his left knee, which actually serves no medical purpose. The 22-year-old midfielder also has a ritual eight-minute ice bath the evening before every game he plays, and has worn the same pair of shinpads since he was 11.

Alli has played in all four of Tottenham's Premier League games in the new season, scoring in their opening win at Newcastle.

Another significant contribution he has made since the World Cup has come off the pitch, however, via his 'Dele Challenge' - a perplexing hand gesture that has gone viral and seen team-mates and fans driven round the bend while trying to replicate it.

Alli revealed its origins were also in Russia.

'When we were at the World Cup, there were a few days when the families could come to the hotel,' he said. 'One afternoon, Jamie Vardy's kids were around and they asked me if I could do it. I could but then I watched the other boys struggling, it was funny.

'I heard afterwards that Jesse Lingard's brother had showed them how to do it, so I don't actually know where it came from and who made it up, but when I was on holiday with my friends we all kept doing it, so I shared it. I didn't think it was going to go as mad as it did. It's just a bit of fun.'