DELE ALLI appears to have made light of the red card that ruined his Como debut as he made a long-awaited return from injury.

The former England midfielder, who joined Como on a free transfer in January, came on as a substitute with 81 minutes played in Saturday night’s 2-1 defeat to AC Milan.

But, just 10 minutes after coming on to make his first appearance for any club in two years, Dele was guilty of a rash challenge on former England team-mate Ruben Loftus-Cheek, with an initial yellow card being upgraded to red after a VAR check.

“I was always going to announce my return in some way after these past 2 years, would rather it had been with a goal but feels good to be back,” Dele wrote on Instagram.

Although Dele could joke the day afterwards, Como coach Cesc Fabregas reacted angrily after his side’s defeat.

“Dele Alli is a player who can score goals, he perhaps didn’t deserve this opportunity because he has only been working with us for two weeks and has a lot to improve,” Fabregas said on DAZN.

“It is a grave mistake, one that we should not see from a player of his experience.

“It was a clear red card, there’s nothing to be said about that, he left the team down to 10 men during a crucial moment when we were pushing for 2-2. That is the most negative thing about this evening, but we keep going.”