Spurs’ Premier League midfielder Eric Dier shone as England sealed a famous 3-2 UEFA Nations League win away to Spain.
Eric Dier certainly silenced his critics on Monday night – including one Perry Groves.
Speaking on talkSPORT ahead of England’s Nations League clashes against Croatia and Spain, the former Arsenal favourite admitted that he had his doubts about the Tottenham Hotspur midfielder.
“Eric Dier is my concern,” Groves said. “When you do give the ball away you’ve got to be mobile and I don’t think Dier is good enough to play in a midfield three.”
Now, Dier’s form has been a cause for concern of late, with the former Sporting Lisbon youngster struggling to find his best form for both club and country in 2018. So the 24-year-old certainly picked the perfect time to remind everyone of his talents in England’s famous 3-2 win against Spain on Monday.
Raheem Sterling and Marcus Rashford hogged the headlines for a scintillating attacking display but Dier was integral to a remarkable success, setting the tone with a crunching challenge on Spain skipper Sergio Ramos in the opening minutes.
And, one week on, Groves has admitted that he wrote Dier off a little prematurely.
“I was critical of Eric Dier but I thought he was absolutely outstanding (against Spain),” Groves told Jim White on talkSPORT (19 October, 12.10pm).
The test for Dier now is to establish himself as the first choice at the base of both Gareth Southgate and Mauricio Pochettino’s midfields.
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