Eric Dier has claimed he should be a part of Gareth Southgate’s England squad.
Dier, 30, has impressed since moving to Bayern Munich on loan in January after 10 years at Tottenham.
The defender has won 49 England caps and was part of their group for the 2022 World Cup, but he hasn’t been called-up by Southgate since March 2023.
And Dier, who headed to Germany after falling out of favour at Spurs under Ange Postecoglou, insisted he still has plenty to give for England, with Southgate set to name his Euro 2024 squad next month.
Defender Eric Dier has claimed he deserves to be a part of Gareth Southgate’s England squad
The defender has won 49 caps for the Three Lions, but hasn’t been called-up since March 2023
Speaking to Gary Neville on The Overlap, brought to you by Sky Bet, Dier felt he was playing the best football of his career and insisted he still has plenty to give at international level
‘Obviously, I want to be a part of the England set-up,’ he said, speaking on The Overlap, brought to you by Sky Bet. ‘And I believe that I should be a part of it, that I’m that level of a player.
‘I haven’t spoken at all to Gareth Southgate, but you try and play as well as possible for your club and then the decision is out of your hands.
‘Since the World Cup, I wouldn’t say that I’ve had any dip in form. I’m playing the best football of my career since Conte came [to Tottenham] and I’ve carried it on since I’ve been here [at Bayern Munich].
‘People think that I’m 37 or something, but I’m 30 years-old and am nowhere near the end of my prime and I imagine that this will be my prime.
‘When I look around the players I’ve played with in my career, like Dembele, Vertonghen, Alderweireld, Lloris, all these guys. They were 31, 32 and were playing their best football at Tottenham.’
Dier originally came through the youth ranks at Sporting Lisbon after his family moved to Portugal for Euro 2004 before he headed to Spurs in 2014.
Over a decade at Tottenham, the 30-year-old became a key man under Mauricio Pochettino, Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte, racking up 365 appearances in total for the club.
The defender – who triggered an option to make his Bayern move permanent last month – also played a key role in England’s run to the semi-finals at the 2018 World Cup.
However, some Spurs fans remained unconvinced by Dier despite his impressive record and the defender admitted he felt undervalued given his exploits in the game.
Dier also claimed ‘there is a lack of appreciation’ for what he’s achieved so far in his career
The defender has impressed since leaving Spurs to join Bayern Munich on loan in January
‘I think there is a lack of appreciation for what I’ve achieved in my career so far,’ he added. ‘I know what I’ve done and I’m pretty calm with that.
‘When you’re at the same place for nine years, every player goes through ups and downs, but they can be disguised a bit more if you move clubs.
‘If you change clubs three times in nine years, and you go through ups and downs, it’s seen as more of a normal thing because he’s changed club and settling in.
‘But if you’re in the same place going through those ups and downs, it’s a difficult thing to manage.’
Eric Dier was speaking on The Overlap, brought to you by Sky Bet
To watch the full video, please visit The Overlap YouTube channel.
