Tottenham Hotspur expect Dele Alli to return to action in their North London derby away to Arsenal on Sunday and the England international could be named in Gareth Southgate’s squad for next month’s Euro 2020 qualifiers when it is announced on Thursday.

The 23-year-old is still yet to play this season and was not named on the bench for the home game against Newcastle United on Sunday that ended in defeat, with Mauricio Pochettino preferring a cautious approach to Alli’s return. The attacking midfielder suffered another hamstring injury over the summer and only returned to training with the first team last week.

Alli was injured during pre-season, a recurrence of the hamstring problem on his left side that caused him to miss all of February’s action last season. Pochettino said during pre-season that he was “worried” about the player’s problems in that area and has given Alli longer than usual to recuperate before playing again.

The derby game will be a considerable test for both the North London rivals after defeats at the weekend. There are continued doubts over the future of Christian Eriksen at Spurs this week, making Alli’s availability crucial to Pochettino. The Spurs manager could not say one way or another on Sunday whether Eriksen, a substitute against Newcastle, had played his last game for Spurs. The European transfer window shuts next Monday.