OPINION
Eric Dier has been named as England captain for the second time, just two years after being dropped by manager Gareth Southgate for the England Under-21s.
Southgate has now called Dier his ‘sounding board’ for tactical advice, completing Dier’s transformation from England outcast to an integral squad member.
His international rise mirrors that of his club journey, with Dier now one of Mauricio Pochettino’s favourites after a rough patch that left his future at the club in doubt.
Here, This is Futbol look at the three main reasons behind the enforcer’s transformation from a raw young talent who even Tottenham fans felt was undeserving of their starting XI into club and country stalwart.
Firstly, there is Dier’s versatility. We might also call it ‘utility’, but Dier himself has made it known he resents that word.
The 23-year-old arrived at Spurs as a young defender, a centre-back who was also capable of filling in at right-back if needed.
However, during pre-season for the 2015/16 campaign, Pochettino made the masterstroke of giving Dier a chance to impress in a defensive midfield role.
Spurs fans were initially sceptical, but Dier proved all doubters wrong with his much-improved passing and quietly-impressive vision.
He has since morphed into one of England’s most versatile players, able to fill in anywhere along the back line and slot easily into midfield, while also occasionally popping up with a goal or assist to even further enhance his importance to both club and country.
Secondly, there is Dier’s natural leadership ability.
This is a player with a steely determination not often seen, with a natural ability to instill this in those around him.
He has been well-known to act as a peace-maker on the field, protecting his teammates from flammable situations while oozing calm himself.
Dier has only played 22 games for England and now finds himself as Southgate’s new option for captain.
He has also captained Spurs on several occasions now, despite the presence of players such as Harry Kane, Jan Vertonghen and Hugo Lloris.
More tellingly, it is Dier who is Pochettino’s on-field spokesman. When the Argentine needs something relayed to his team, it is mostly Dier who is called over for the job.
This leads us on to the third and final reason behind Dier’s rise, his underrated tactical awareness.
Both Pochettino and Southgate have spoken out about Dier’s tactical nous and ability to read the game.
Indeed, he is now Southgate’s ‘sounding board for tactical discussions’. The England boss said, as quoted by The Mirror: “The way he trains and understands the game, Eric has good tactical understanding on the field.
“And he is a good sounding board for me when you want to have discussions around tactical problems – or ideas of how we might solve problems.”
Dier’s tactical awareness mean he is an asset for any manager he plays for, and rounds off the reasons behind his remarkable rise to the top of English football.
Pochettino and Southgate will be hoping his development continues at a pace, and if it does then there is no reason why Dier could not go on to become one of England and Spurs’ best players in years to come.