Dele Alli was back in a squad for the first time in more than two years as the 28-year-old took his place on the bench for Como’s Serie A clash with Roma.

It marked a significant milestone for the England international in his bid to return to the pitch. His last matchday involvement had been in February 2023, when he was on loan at Besiktas from Everton.

And even though he did not make his bow on this occasion, there was evidence to suggest that the club envisage an important role for him in the future.

Alli joined Cesc Fabregas’s side on an 18-month contract in January, having initially been invited to join the team at their Mozzate training base in December to keep his fitness up.

It was that same month when Alli was first spotted at the Sinigaglia Stadium, watching on during Como’s 2-0 win over Roma – the same side against which he returned to the squad on Sunday.

On that occasion his view had been a little different, watching the match from the hospitality seats having been invited to the club’s Trophy Room reception alongside the likes of Keira Knightley, Michael Fassbender and Adrien Brody.

This time around, he was watching on from the bench. The club kept the revelation of his involvement low key, one tweet including a picture of the former Tottenham star the only nod to his involvement at the Stadio Olimpico.

And while his minutes on the pitch were confined to the warm up on this occasion, there was one detail that pointed to the club’s belief in Alli’s potential to make a future impact.

The club’s official announcement of their squad on Sunday morning revealed Alli’s shirt number, with the midfielder inheriting the No 8 jersey.

While it’s a number typically adopted by some of the more creative stars around the first team, it also holds prestigious significance in Italy, too.

The full name of the award handed to the best midfielder in Italy each season is Premio Bulgarelli Number 8. It is given out in honour of Giacomo Bulgarelli, a Bologna and Azzurri star through the Sixties and Seventies widely considered one of the country’s greatest ever stars. The award was won last year by Alli’s fellow Brit Lewis Ferguson.

It also marks a switch from his usual shirt number. During his time at Tottenham, Alli became synonymous with the number 20, while it was also his number of choice for international duty with England.