Eric Dier opens up on Dele Alli struggles and how he can return to England set-up

Eric Dier has backed Dele Alli to bounce back from his current predicament and to return to the England side after the midfielder missed out on the last few squads.

Alli has found himself falling down the pecking order at Spurs, even failing to make the matchday squad on several occasions so far this campaign (transfermarkt.com).

The midfielder was linked with a move away from North London during the transfer window (Daily Mail) but ended up staying at Spurs beyond Monday’s deadline.

There were signs last week that the 24-year-old might be given opportunities to get back into Jose Mourinho’s side as he came on and made a decent impact as a substitute against both Maccabi Haifa and Manchester United.

However, the midfielder still has plenty of work to do if he is to win his place back in the Spurs starting XI, let alone the England team.

Dier certainly knows what it takes to play himself back into the Tottenham and England set-up after doing it himself this year, and he has no doubts that Alli can do the same.

When asked if Dele can get back into Gareth Southgate’s squad, Dier said (via Sports Mole): “Of course he can, I wasn’t in it for a year and a bit myself, so I think it is definitely possible.

“Someone with his quality and what his attributes are, he is still a fantastic player, you don’t lose that overnight and he is going through a difficult time, it is no secret to anyone, but as footballers, there is always going to be moments like these. Everyone has them in their careers and Dele has got a fantastic personality.

“I am sure he is going to get down to work and put his head down and try and get back where he was a year ago or so.

“It is really in his hands and I am looking forward to seeing his reaction over the next couple of months and I am sure he is going to be highly motivated.”

Spurs Web Opinion

Dele is an extremely driven individual with a lot of self-belief and I believe he will be fighting hard to get back into the Spurs team and prove himself again to Mourinho. However, if he does not make some inroads into the Tottenham side before January, I suspect he will probably push for a move (either on loan or permanently) as he will want to give himself the best shot of making the England squad for the Euros next summer.

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