Speaking to Sky Sports Eric Dier believes Dele Alli is unfazed by the “unfair” criticism he receives, saying his team-mate “can be proud” of what he has achieved.
The spotlight often fell on Alli this season as he struggled to maintain his impressive goalscoring form of last season and he has come under fire for his short temper, but Dier has backed Alli, who is among Gareth Southgate’s 25-man squad for the World Cup, to continue progressing but admits his style of play means he will always be the subject of judgement.
When asked whether the criticism is fair, Dier told Sky Sports: “That is the world we live in, whether it’s fair or not. I don’t think so, but that’s the world he is going to live in for a long time so he will have to get used to it.”
Dier added: “He is always going to be someone that is going to divide opinion and I think he is comfortable with that. He’s very comfortable with who he is and I think he should be – he is a fantastic young boy and a great player.
Dier went on to say: “He can be an even better player, he can improve in everything and I think he knows that but I think he can be very proud of what he is at the moment and hopefully continue to improve on and off the field, like all of us can.”
Dier is one of England’s most experienced players boarding the plane to Russia and he has urged the young Lions to take an aggressive approach to the tournament.
“Everyone wants to do as well as possible in this tournament,”:he added. “One of the big things is we want to be proactive in this tournament and go head-on into the challenge.
Dier also added: “Obviously, it’ll be a big challenge and you’ll need to have the right attitude to be successful in it and a bit of luck – which everyone needs. Hopefully we can have those things and face the challenge on the front foot instead of being reactive and sitting back.”
Keep up to date with all the latest Tottenham news and opinion by following SpursWeb’s Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts.
