‘He struggles’ – Alan Shearer says Spurs star shouldn’t be in England’s Euros squad – originally posted on Sportslens.com
Tottenham Hotspur suffered a 3-1 defeat at the hands of Leeds United at Elland Road on Saturday, and their chances of playing Champions League football next season now appear very slim.
Ryan Mason’s side were not particularly impressive at either end of the pitch, and England manager Gareth Southgate might have made some decisions on his 26-man European Championship squad as a result of what he witnessed in Yorkshire.
Spurs defender Eric Dier had a game to forget against Leeds, and while he made the last Three Lions squad in March, he could be omitted from it when the announcement is made later this month.
Premier League legend Alan Shearer believes that the Tottenham star is not good enough to be in the final squad, and not many neutral fans will disagree with him.
“We saw Tyrone Mings and Eric Dier make big errors at the weekend, but that hasn’t been uncommon this season,” the former Newcastle United striker told The Athletic.
“Dier was given the runaround during Tottenham Hotspur’s dismal 3-1 defeat at Leeds United — what a team Leeds are, in the best and most simple definition of the word — and at that level, with movement around him, he struggles.
“I’d take Mings as well as Everton’s Michael Keane, but I’d be lying if I said I was full of confidence here.”
Manchester United’s Harry Maguire and Manchester City’s John Stones are expected to be Southgate’s first-choice centre-back pairing given the brilliant campaigns they have had with their clubs this term.
Mings and Keane have arguably had better campaigns than Dier, and the same can be said of Brighton’s and Burnley’s English centre-backs.
The 27-year-old missed out on Jose Mourinho’s starting XI in the Portuguese last days at Tottenham for a reason, and Mason’s decision to bring him back might have proven costly.
In other news, Tottenham have reacted to Manchester City emerging as Premier League winners.