Alli's pictured surrounded by laughing gas canisters with a balloon in his mouth

Former England footballer Dele Alli has been pictured with a balloon in his mouth while surrounded by gas canisters in a Manchester flat.

Alli has endured a terrible season on the pitch, having spent the year on loan at Turkish side Besiktas from Everton.

But the loan that was expected to end in the summer was recently cut short, with the midfielder being sent back to the Merseyside club following a hip injury.

Alli would have been unable to play again this season for the Toffees anyway due to not being registered in their Premier League squad, but images released may cause concern for fans hoping to see him return to action sooner rather than later.

A picture posted up on social media claiming to be in Salford show the 26-year-old at a table with a balloon to his lips next to a table laden with laughing gas canisters, drinks bottles and cans.

While the government’s plans to outlaw the supply of nitrous oxide, possession is not currently illegal and neither is it likely to be.

A spokesperson for Alli has been contacted by MailOnline for comment.

It comes following Alli's return to England having been ruled out for 10 weeks with a hip problem.

He hasn't appeared on the pitch since the end of February against Antalyaspor.

Alli, capped 37 times by England, will assess his future in the summer once he has overcome his current injury. His Everton contract still has another year to go, lasting until June 2024.

The former Tottenham favourite has endured a tough time in Turkey, appearing in 13 games and scoring two goals in the league.

There had been reports that Besiktas manager Senol Gunes was frustrated with Alli's application.

Other snippets of misinformation seem to have been creeping out of the Super Lig club, with Gunes previously claiming that Alli had gone AWOL from training.

That came despite the player being given permission to attend a doctor's appointment on that day.

Asked about Alli, who was previously named PFA Young Player of the Year in back-to-back seasons in 2015-16 and 2016-17, Everton boss Sean Dyche confirmed the player had flown home due to his injury.

The England international has proven popular off the pitch in recent times, recently meeting Kim Kardashian and her son Saint last month.

Alli's career peaked in 2018 where as a key player for Tottenham he was taken to the 2018 World Cup, scoring in a quarter-final against Sweden to help England reach the last four - their joint best performance at the tournament since 1966.

However, a hamstring injury suffered against Fulham at Craven Cottage in 2019 appeared to severely hamper his long term game and he gradually fell out of favour at international level as well as at Spurs under Jose Mourinho and then Antonio Conte.

While he was given a free transfer to Everton last season, he failed to reclaim his spark at Goodison Park under Frank Lampard before his summer loan move to Turkey.

It has resulted in much speculation over whether Alli can get back to his best form, given he is out of favour at Everton.

However, his former MK Dons boss Karl Robinson claims Alli is misunderstood and can restore his former game.

Robinson managed Alli before he sealed a dream £5million move to Tottenham in 2015.

Robinson, 42, said: 'At the beginning of his career he made many mistakes on and off the pitch probably, but on the pitch that one moment of magic was what made the headlines.'

The 42-year-old former Oxford United boss said: 'If you look at the data he’s one of the hardest-working, highest distance-covered players playing. I think that his persona can sometimes look flippant. He can look labored, but he always had that.

'I remember pinning him up against the wall at times. I remember him being dragged in a dressing room once by a senior player because he had this look on his face which was a smirk – I lost it with him and a senior player lost it with him as well.'

'As the negativity spirals on top of him – has he done things off the pitch that have supported him on the pitch? I’d have to say no at stages.