Alli and Stones give England major boost ahead of last-16 Colombia tie

England have received a major boost ahead of their crunch World Cup tie with Colombia on Tuesday.

Midfielder Dele Alli and defender John Stones were training on Saturday after questions persisted over the fitness of the duo.

Tottenham star Alli, 22, picked up an injury in the Three Lions’ opening Group G match against Tunisia and subsequently missed the 6-1 defeat of Panama and 1-0 loss to Belgium on Thursday night.

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Stones, who helped Manchester City lift the Premier League title in emphatic fashion last season, was substituted off at half-time in the defeat to Belgium in Kaliningrad.

The 24-year-old former Everton man was seen massaging his left calf in that match, raising serious concerns over his fitness for the next round.

But England manager Gareth Southgate claimed afterwards that the substitution was a pre-planned one.

Nonetheless, his return to training will provide a boost to England as Southgate attempts to navigate a tournament which could see them face Brazil or Mexico in the quarter-finals.

Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Fabian Delph were the only absentees from training, though, and the last-16 matches get underway on Saturday with Argentina playing France in Kazan.

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