This article was amended on Feb 12, 2016

It is startling to recall that 12 months ago England’s most exciting player began the new year with a match away to Crawley Town. Setting the tone for his annus mirabilis, Dele Alli scored in that game at Broadfield Stadium, a last-minute equaliser for Milton Keynes Dons, just as he marked the start of 2016 by scoring with a stunning volley in Tottenham Hotspur’s 1-1 draw away to Everton on Sunday.

Alli was the best of the 11 Englishmen on the pitch at Goodison Park on a highly encouraging afternoon for Roy Hodgson, as he has been in many of the matches that the England manager has watched this season. The 19-year-old has made the remarkable transition