Former Spur believes 25-year-old should leave to play regular football

Darren Bent believes that Eric Dier needs to leave Tottenham Hotspur in order to get his career back on track.

Dier moved to White Hart Lane from Sporting in 2014 for a bargain price of just £4million.

He has gone on to make 157 Premier League appearances in Spurs colours and has been a regular fixture in Mauricio Pochettino’s side, found himself limited to just 20 top-flight appearances last season due to illness and injury.

The 25-year-old made his first Premier League start of the season in last Saturday’s 3-0 defeat at Brighton with the England international’s display being one of the most disappointing of the Tottenham players.

Dier has found himself behind the likes of Tanguy Ndombele, Harry Winks and Moussa Sissoko in the midfield pecking order and believes that a move away from North London would be the best option to allow him to play regular first-team football and look to break back into Gareth Southgate’s England side.

Bent told Football Insider: “First and foremost, if he’s not going to play much – you think a couple years back, he was one of their main men. It’s like they had to get him on the pitch somewhere, whether it was centre midfield or centre back.

“If he wants to continue his development, he’s out the England squad again, a couple years back he was one of their main men – he needs to go somewhere and play consistent football.

“He’s not getting into Spurs’ backline and he’s not getting into Spurs’ midfield so at the minute he’s in limbo, just training but for what reason? There’s no prize at the end of it. It is a shame.

“While he sits there on the bench, not that his career’s going down the drain because he’s had a great career, while he sits there, these youngsters are coming up behind him and coming up quickly.”

Opinion

Dier did his chances of a regular recall to Mauricio Pochettino’s starting eleven no favours against Brighton where he struggled on the ball and gave away possession too easily.

With the future of Toby Alderweireld and Jan Vertonghen still in doubt due to their respective contractual situations, Dier’s best chance could be to drop back as a central defender next season if he wishes to remain at the club.

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