TOTTENHAM v SHEFF UTD MY DIER YEAR

Surgery and illness cost Spurs star dear, but he’s slowly getting back to his best

ERIC DIER insists he is finally getting back to his best after the health scare that cost him almost a year of his career.

The England midfielder needed emergency surgery on his appendix last December, with complications causing him months of problems.

But Dier started in defence for Tottenham’s 4-0 Champions League rout of Red Star Belgrade on Wednesday and feels he is slowly recovering his form.

Dier, 25, was initially ruled out for a month, but kept getting ill as a result of a bad reaction to his medication.

He said: “I think it’s been going on for maybe a year. I think it’s been unfortunate circumstances.

“First there was my appendix. And then coming back for pre-season and having to undergo another procedure was just very unfortunate.

“But since then I feel very good. I feel at my best.

“It was quite serious. At the time, there were a few players at the club with a stomach ache. We just presumed that it was that, you know.

“Which is no fault of the medical staff, at all. They treated me fantastically.

“I was at home and I had to be rushed to hospital and thankfully I had the procedure straight away.

“I was very fortunate in that respect, but it was very difficult afterwards. I kept on getting ill.

“My immune system really struggled with the medicine after the appendix and I kept on feeling unwell.”

Dier had to cope with some critics calling him a crock as he struggled to force his way back into the Spurs team.

He explained: “People said I was injured – but I wasn’t. I just kept on falling ill because of the condition, which was very frustrating.

“It wasn’t easy. It wasn’t a normal thing for anyone.

“It was a very strange experience but something that hopefully I will be the better for.

“It’s gone, it’s in the past. I don’t really think about it too much any more. I am just looking ahead.”