...and Barkley can’t rest on his laurels either in Lions revolution

DELE ALLI is living proof that in football, time waits for no man.

Wayne Rooney might be the one exception to the rule, if last week’s ridiculously indulgent comeback from international retirement is anything to go by.

But in the real world England manager Gareth Southgate has been at pains to introduce his modern stars to, there is no reward for reputation or success in the past.

Just four months ago, Alli was starting England’s biggest game in a generation when the Three Lions faced Croatia in the World Cup semi-final in Moscow.

Since then Alli has returned to domestic duties with Tottenham and bagged himself a nice little earner in the shape of a new contract.

It guarantees his future wealth but what it doesn’t guarantee is a place in the England team.

Survivors

Southgate once admitted losing to Croatia in the summer will haunt him forever but no-one can accuse him of looking back instead of forwards.

The England boss is more about revolution than evolution.

Yesterday at Wembley the opposition might have been the same, but the England team were not.

There were just five survivors from the Moscow defeat. Alli wasn’t one of them, while three started who didn’t even go to Russia, including Ross Barkley.

Alli and Barkley appear to be heading in different directions at the moment. One is treading water while the other is finally starting to fulfil his enormous potential, although later than expected.

One former Premier League boss once described Barkley – in private of course – as being the “thickest player he’d ever coached”.

But Barkley did have the brains to work out that staying in the comfort zone at Everton was not a wise move, knowing he would achieve little more than massage his ego.

Instead, he took the intelligent decision to challenge himself at Chelsea in the hope that surrounding himself with world-class stars would raise his standards too. It’s working.

Barkley is emerging as a much more effective player at club level at least, with more tactical discipline and a wider range of passing off both feet.

On paper, Barkley appears to have it all. Strength, pace, vision, excellent technique and awareness.

He’s benefiting from Maurizio Sarri’s coaching at Stamford Bridge, having scored three goals in nine appearances this season as well as making the same number of assists.

The question now is, can he establish himself on the biggest stage and pack a punch at international level, instead of being on the receiving end of them in Liverpool nightclubs, as he once was?

The jury is still out.

Barkley’s performance yesterday had more style than substance, personifying his side’s until the stunning late turnaround after he had gone off.

One floated pass to release Kyle Walker was sublime, as was his cute back flick to send Raheem Sterling charging into space on the right. At times he chose to find a colleague in space instead of shooting and when he did take aim at goal he sliced one difficult chance into the side netting five minutes before the break.

But old habits can die hard with professional footballers and when he conceded possession in a dangerous position and allowed Croatia to break with speed and danger, Southgate had seen enough.

Just after the hour mark Barkley, winning his 25th cap, traded places with Alli as England looked to chase a game they had dominated but somehow found themselves behind in.

Stamping

Alli still has time on his side and so does Barkley, who is 25 in a few weeks.

But he is reaching the age where he has to start stamping his mark on international football – otherwise Southgate will leave him behind. Few are indispensable as the England boss experiments.

Right now Barkley and Alli are good footballers – but not good enough to help the Three Lions win something.

Until this changes then all Southgate might have to polish is his halo, because goals from Harry Kane can only take England so far in tournaments.