Capt Dier is ‘sound’ selection
GARETH SOUTHGATE says Eric Dier has become his “sounding board” – just over two years after axeing him from the Under-21s.
England boss Southgate dropped Dier for the Euro U-21s Championship in 2015 after the Tottenham star pulled out of a previous get-together.
Southgate said: “I had a really good discussion with his dad over his development. At that time he wanted to focus on establishing himself with Spurs as a centre-back.
“He felt that was where he’d play in the future – and it still might be I think.
“I agreed with what they wanted to do. As an Under-21 manager you’re looking at individual development, and we also had John Stones and Michael Keane then. Eric was still maturing, so for me it wasn’t a big problem.
“Now the captaincy is good experience for him.
“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.”