An England star snubbed by Gareth Southgate ahead of Euro 2024 believes he should have been included in the squad.
On Tuesday Southgate announced his provisional 33-man England squad for the European Championship in Germany this summer, and there were some surprise inclusions and omissions.
Manchester United attacker Marcus Rashford and Ajax midfielder Jordan Henderson have been near ever-presents in England squads during Southgate's tenure, but were both left out after enduring disappointing seasons.
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Several uncapped players made the list, including Liverpool duo Curtis Jones and Jarell Quansah, Everton defender Jarrad Branthwaite and Crystal Palace’s Adam Wharton.
England aren't exactly blessed with a wealth of experienced central defensive options at the moment, with long-time starters Harry Maguire and John Stones struggling with injuries this season.
With that in mind, Southgate has called up five additional centre-backs, but surprisingly Eric Dier is not among them.
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Dier has been a midfielder for much of his career, but in January he joined Bayern Munich on loan after falling out of favour at Tottenham. In March he triggered a clause in the deal to make the move permanent.
In Germany the 30-year-old has played exclusively as a centre-back, and impressed despite Bayern finishing the season without a trophy.
Dier has not been included in an England squad since March 2023, and hasn't taken to the pitch for the Three Lions since the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Ahead of Bayern's Champions League quarter-final tie against Arsenal back in March, Dier argued that he deserved to be on the plane to Germany this summer.
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"Obviously, I want to be a part of the England set-up and I believe that I should be a part of it, that I'm that level of player," Dier said.
"I haven't spoken at all to Gareth [Southgate], but you try to 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 Antonio Conte came [to Spurs] and I've carried it on since I've been here [at Bayern], and I think I've shown that.
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"People think I'm 37 or something, but I'm 30 and am nowhere near the end of my prime and imagine that this will be my prime.
"When I look around at the players I've played with, like Mousa Dembele, Jan Vertonghen, Toby Alderweireld, Hugo Lloris, they were 31, 32 and were playing their best football at Tottenham."
England's final 26-man squad for Euro 2024 will be announced on June 8.
Topics: England, Euro 2024, Gareth Southgate, Eric Dier, Football
Alex Brotherton