Tottenham Hotspur centre-back Eric Dier could earn himself a recall to the England national team in the upcoming international break.
That is according to The Sun’s Tom Barclay, who was speaking to GiveMeSport about the latest news coming out of the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Dier’s last appearance for England was in a 2-0 Nations League victory over Iceland back in November 2020, with Gareth Southgate opting to select Harry Maguire, John Stones, Tyrone Mings and Conor Coady as his centre-back options at the subsequent European Championship.
The 28-year-old is still an experienced international, however, making 45 appearances for the Three Lions throughout his career, despite not being selected by Gareth Southgate for the last two years.
However, with the Three Lions manager still intent on playing a back three Barclay believes that amid the struggling form of players such as Maguire, there is a chance that Dier could be welcomed back into the England fold by Southgate when the next squad is announced.
He said: “You just think with England, I know he mixes it up a bit, but if he is going with a three, I think Dier is the obvious one.
“In particular, with Maguire out of favour and not playing for Man United. He’s quicker than Maguire, I don’t know if he’s as good a defender. I know Maguire’s being hammered at the moment, so I’m talking about when Maguire is playing well.
“Perhaps he’s more of a threat at set-pieces, but I think Dier has got a lot to his game, and I think, and I believe from what we’re told, that he’s got a very, very good chance of being back in the squad.”
TIF Thoughts on Barclay’s comments…
We believe that if Dier keeps up his consistent form from the last 12 months, there is a high chance he will find himself training with the national team at St George’s Park in a few weeks’ time.
The former Sporting defender has played every minute available in Spurs’ opening seven fixtures this season in all competitions according to Transfermarkt, suggesting that Antonio Conte trusts him immensely and may see him as undroppable.
The Cheltenham-born defender’s performances in the Premier League so far this season have earned him an average SofaScore rating of 7.07, ranking him as the sixth-best performer in Spurs’ squad this campaign – above teammate and experienced international Ben Davies.
Therefore, we think that now is the time for Southgate to consider a return to the England squad for Dier, as he could at least provide another solid option in a back three, should that be the system the England manager wants to use during the World Cup in November.