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Arsene Wenger suggests he’s a fan of Tottenham’s Eric Dier, can’t understand his World Cup exile

Arsene Wenger manager (Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)
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Arsene Wenger isn’t sure why Eric Dier hasn’t been playing for England.

Eric Dier of England during the International Friendly match between England and Italy at Wembley Stadium on March 27, 2018 in London, England.

Former Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has told beIN Sport that he doesn’t understand why Tottenham Hotspur’s Eric Dier has been left out by England at the World Cup this summer.

England made it two wins from two on Sunday afternoon, as they hammered Panama 6-1 in Nizhny Novgorod, with Harry Kane bagging a hat-trick, John Stones scoring a brace and Jesse Lingard also getting himself on the scoresheet.

Gareth Southgate’s men have already advanced into the last 16 of the competition, but there is still one more group game to come, with a game against Belgium coming up on Thursday.

Eric Dier of England trains during the England media access at Spartak Zelenogorsk Stadium ahead of the FIFA World Cup 2018 on June 14, 2018 in Saint Petersburg, Russia.

England may choose to rotate the side, giving chances to players such as Gary Cahill, Phil Jones, Danny Rose, Fabian Delph and Marcus Rashford ahead of the knockout stages.

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Another player who may well feature in Southgate’s starting line-up is Eric Dier, with the Tottenham ace yet to play a single minute in Russia having previously been key in qualifying.

The 24-year-old was even England captain back in November, but now can’t get a game under Southgate having seen England switch to playing one holding midfielder with two more attacking players either side.

Arsene Wenger manager

Jordan Henderson has been given the nod ahead of Dier, but one man who maybe isn’t quite convinced by Dier’s exile from the England side at the World Cup is Arsene Wenger.

The former Arsenal boss has told beIN Sport that he doesn’t understand why Dier hasn’t been used so far as he was so important in qualifying, and suggested that he is something of a fan of the Spurs ace.

”Nobody talks about him (Dier), he played all the games before,” said Wenger. “Since the start of the competition, we have not seen him. He can play in the middle of the defence and as a midfielder. I don’t know why he has not been used at all,” he added.