England squad lacking quality, says Matt Le Tissier
Friday 6 November 2015 11:26, UK
Soccer Saturday pundit Matt Le Tissier believes that Eric Dier's England call-up reflects a lack of quality options for Roy Hodgson.
The 21-year-old has impressed in Tottenham's midfield this season, starting all 11 of his side's Premier League games, having previously operated as a defender for both club and, at youth level, country.
That form has seen him included in Roy Hodgson's latest squad for the first time ahead of friendlies against Spain and France along with Fabian Delph, who returned from a hamstring injury for Manchester City midweek, as England prepare for Euro 2016 next summer.
"It just goes to show that it doesn't take too much of an upturn in form to get you a place in the squad right now," Le Tissier told Sky Sports. "If you're an Englishman playing decent football in the Premier League then you've got a chance.
"Eric Dier has only just started playing in that position, Fabian Delph has barely played Premier League football this season, so the competition isn't exactly fierce.
"I heard on the radio that the highest scoring players in England's squad behind Wayne Rooney are Gary Cahill and Harry Kane with three goals, so we're clearly relying on Rooney a lot."
Le Tissier, who was capped eight times by England, believes Dier will benefit from playing alongside Spurs team-mate Dele Alli, who maintains his place in Hodgson's squad after making substitute appearances in England's final two Euro 2016 qualifiers last month.
"Dier has formed a decent partnership and it might be that Roy will take a look at them playing as a pair in central midfield," Le Tissier added.
"It's not vital to have a pair in there that play together for their clubs because good players should be able to play with other good players, but should give relatively inexperienced players that extra bit of confidence being used to playing alongside each other.
"Alli has bundles of potential but you don't want to put too much pressure on the kid. It's a great experience for him and he has all the tools, but we need to be patient."
