Collymore has suggested the wrong Tottenham player as left field England captain

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Tottenham Hotspur’s Dele Alli has been suggested as a potential Three Lions skipper but Eric Dier is the man to consider.

In his recent Mirror column, Stan Collymore suggested Dele Alli should be given the captain’s armband for England, but the pundit has picked the wrong Tottenhham Hotspur player as a left field choice for skipper.

Eric Dier is a far better option to lead the next generation of Three Lions players, and if England boss Gareth Southgate is considering Tottenham’s players as potential candidates, the 23-year-old should be on his list.

Alli does not need the burden of captaining his country, with the youngster needing to focus on playing to his best week in, week out when the critics are starting to sharpen their proverbial claws after a run of below-par showings.

Two years Alli’s senior, Dier does not face the same pressure as his more attack-minded teammate. He simply goes about his business and rarely puts a foot wrong, and the potential long-term partnership between him and Harry Winks in the centre of Tottenham’s midfield could be a joy to behold.

Dier’s ability to play as a centre-back or a holding midfielder means he knows how to watch the game play out around him and deal with problems before they arise.

In short, he is already playing something akin to a captain’s role at Tottenham despite not wearing the arm band, and if Collymore wanted to throw a truly viable if discussion-worthy option into the hat he should have opted for Dier.

Alli is not captain material, not yet anyway. Dier on the other hand has what it takes to lead both club and country and, if not now, one day expect him to lead out his country at a major tournament.