Cole claims pal Dele Alli could fire England to Euro 2016 glory

Fleetwood striker Devante Cole says his chum Dele Alli could fire England to Euro 2016 glory.
Fleetwood Town's Devante Cole has a shotFleetwood Town's Devante Cole has a shot
Fleetwood Town's Devante Cole has a shot

Cole and Alli became close when they played in the 2014-15 MK Dons League One promotion-winning side.

Now Alli has gained worldwide recognition by playing a key role in the Tottenham Hotspur side that fought Leicester City for the Premier League title.

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Spurs and Alli missed out on the championship but the 20-year-old midfielder’s scintillating form paved a way into the England squad.

England's Dele Alli in action at Stade de Bourgognes, Chantilly. Picture: Owen Humphreys/PAEngland's Dele Alli in action at Stade de Bourgognes, Chantilly. Picture: Owen Humphreys/PA
England's Dele Alli in action at Stade de Bourgognes, Chantilly. Picture: Owen Humphreys/PA

And Cole says his ‘unbelievably talented’ pal could help the Three Lions roar to victory as they prepare to take on Russia in their opening group game in Marseilles on Saturday.

Cole said: “You never know with England but I think with Dele playing like he is you always have a chance.

“He’s an unbelievable player.

“You see him do incredible things in training and the he does it in a game too.

England's Dele Alli in action at Stade de Bourgognes, Chantilly. Picture: Owen Humphreys/PAEngland's Dele Alli in action at Stade de Bourgognes, Chantilly. Picture: Owen Humphreys/PA
England's Dele Alli in action at Stade de Bourgognes, Chantilly. Picture: Owen Humphreys/PA
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“You see him in the Premier League and what he is doing now is exactly what he did in League One. It is just unreal.”

Since going their separate ways from the triumphant MK Dons side at the start of the campaign the two youngsters’ fortunes have taken different paths.

Whilst Alli was elevated to the top flight and began tearing apart the Premier League Cole remained in League One with Bradford City.

He made a good start to the campaign scoring five times in nine games but his form soon petered out and he swapped Yorkshire for the Fylde coast in February.

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But as Alli was gaining plaudits across the globe Cole was struggling to force his way into Steven Pressley’s relegation battling side.

But the son of legendary Premier League and ex-England international Andy Cole had a late impact on Town’s survival bid.

The 21-year-old came off the bench in the penultimate day defeat at Walsall to score his first goal for club and break a 17-game barren spell.

That long distance consolation in the 3-1 defeat saw him rewarded as Pressley handed him his first start in 10 games for Fleetwood’s crunch final day Highbury clash against Crewe.

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And he repaid his manager’s faith by netting his second goal in as many games after Bobby Grant had opened the scoring in spectacular fashion to help fire Town to the 2-0 win that helped them beat the drop.

And Cole says that he is hoping to take that late form into pre-season and the new campaign and says he is hoping to follow in Alli’s footsteps.

He said: “I’m very close with Dele.

“He’s got a massive summer ahead of him.

“I will be talking to him all summer and I would be out there (in France) if I could.

“It is massive for him.

“Playing with him last year and seeing what he has gone on to achieve is massive.

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“I am just going to keep progressing, get my head down, score goals and hopefully I will be up there with him.”

And Cole says Town should be challenging in the top half next season.

He said: “I think with the players we have we should be challenging in the top half.

“If we get together and get a good pre-season under our belts we will see what we can do.”