Rio Ferdinand has admitted that he is baffled that Eric Dier has kept his place in the England squad on the back of his recent form.
Dier is one of several Tottenham defenders who have struggled form and consistency this season, with the 27-year-old guilty of making individual mistakes errors that have cost the side dearly.
The England international was a regular in the teamsheet at the start of the season but he has now fallen out of favour with Jose Mourinho over recent weeks.
However, Dier, who is now nearing half of a century of England caps, kept his place in the Three Lions set up, with the defender being the only Spurs star other than Harry Kane to be called up by Gareth Southgate.
Ferdinand questioned how the experienced Spurs man got into the squad over Everton duo Ben Godfrey and Michael Keane when he has not been getting regular football at club level.
The former Manchester United centre-back told BT Sport (as relayed by The Mirror): “I was a bit baffled with the selection of defenders.
“You look at Dier, he’s not a regular at his team, you think how has he actually snuck in there? Coady hasn’t had the best of seasons.
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“Godfrey has come in, hit the ground running, and he’s been immense, played in multiple positions at the back.
“A young player, you think going to a tournament to get experience – I did that, the experience I got was phenomenal.
“Not only him – Michael Keane has been one of the most outstanding centre halves in the league this year.”
Spurs Web Opinion
On form, the likes of Michael Keane and Ezri Konsa deserve to be called up over Dier. However, Southgate is obviously trying to find a balance between having some continuity in the set up while also rewarding club performances.
I am not surprised that Dier was called up given how important he has been to England set up for the past five years. However, the 27-year-old is in danger of missing out on the Euros squad if he does not battle his way back into the starting eleven at Spurs
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