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Eric Dier: Lockdown helped me reset... now I’m ready to go for England and Tottenham
Eric Dier has revealed lockdown gave him a much-needed chance to regroup both mentally and physically “after a crazy year”, as he prepares to return to the England side against Iceland on Saturday.
Harry Maguire’s removal from the squad, following his conviction for assault and other charges in Greece, has left Dier in line for a first international appearance since June 2019 for the Nations League qualifier in Reykjavik.
By his own admission, the Tottenham defender has endured “a very difficult time” since emergency surgery to remove his appendix in December 2018, with his recovery punctuated by further illness, injury, patchy form and a four-match ban at the end of last season for climbing into the stands to confront a supporter.
The 26-year-old, who could be part of a back-three for England’s first match in 10 months, says the shutdown proved hugely beneficial, giving him time to assess his targets and recover physically.
“It was an important moment for me,” Dier told Standard Sport. “It gave me an extended break, which I hadn’t had for a long time. It gave me time to reflect on where I was at and have a good understanding of where I wanted to get to and what I needed to do to get there.
“And it gave me the opportunity to have an extended block of training, which I hadn’t had for a long time, which was really good for me. It just gave me a chance to re-set after a crazy year. It was very helpful, it gave me a lot, really. I used it in the best way.”
Reflecting on the past 18 months, Dier added: “It was a very difficult time for me. I actually felt very good coming back for pre-season last season, but then I had unexpected surgery which made me miss pre-season and kind of threw me off. From there, it was very difficult and an up and down season. It wasn’t enjoyable.
“I am really happy with where I was post-lockdown. I felt very good then and kind of disappointed to go on holiday! I feel like I am going to feel very good, pick up where I left off. I’m really happy to be back.”
Despite his ban, Dier established himself at the heart of Tottenham’s defence for the final third of the campaign after informing both Jose Mourinho and England manager Gareth Southgate that he sees his future at centre-half.
If he wins his 41st England cap tomorrow, it is likely to be the first time he has started an international in defence, having previously played in midfield.
“It doesn’t bother me too much,” he said. “I’ve played a lot of big games at centre-back in the Champions League and Premier League.
“Gareth appreciated me being straightforward about it. I don’t know how much it has affected [the decision to recall me].”
Dier was one of just four members of the current group to have been in the squad for England’s last meeting with Iceland — a humiliating 2-1 defeat in the last-16 of Euro 2016.
“I think [our improvement from then] is obvious for everyone to see,” he said. “From a statistical point of view, you can see where we were in the world rankings to where we are now.
“If you look at where we finished in the 2018 World Cup, it’s quite clear we’ve improved in all areas. We’ve overcome a lot of obstacles that need to be overcome — winning a knockout game, winning a penalty shootout. The aim is to keep breaking down those barriers and go further.”
Southgate, whose side face Denmark in another qualifier on Tuesday, is without a host of regulars, including Maguire, Jordan Henderson and Marcus Rashford.
