Southgate hails 'fantastic' Alli

The Tottenham midfielder started in England's opening win against Tunisia, only to suffer a thigh injury that kept him out of the games against Panama and Belgium.

Nevertheless, he return to the starting lineup for the shootout win over Colombia in the week and whilst he struggled to stamp his authority on that one, Southgate insisted that he couldn't be happier with the youngster.

"In terms of Dele, I thought his performance against Tunisia was as good as he's had since I've been England manager," the England boss explained ahead of thre Sweden game.

"He is at his best when he's making those forward runs and really threatening opponents with those forward runs from midfield.

"The other night, the game was a little bit different but he did a really diligent job without the ball for us.

"I think maybe we need to encourage him a little bit more to get into those areas where I think his strengths lie. Where he can have the biggest impact on the game.

"That is something I need to think about tactically but like I say, he did a fantastic job for the team."

Meanwhile, Southgate confirmed that striker Jamie Vardy will undergo a late fitness test after he tweaked a hamstring against the Colombians.

"We need to check Vardy again in the morning," he added. "He completed what we hoped he would today but slightly separate to the team.

"We will just check whether there is any reaction to that. Everybody else trained."