Dier has taken a route rarely seen by English youngsters these days - he started his career abroad. In time, this experience will probably benefit him but his early months at Tottenham have been shaky. Signed for £4m in the summer, an injury-ridden Spurs have started Dier more than they might've wanted to. Yet the defender scored in both of his first two Premier League games. Aged 10, Dier moved to Portugal for his mother's Euro 2004 catering job. He was then raised by Sporting CP, meaning he is also eligible to play internationally for Portugal. There were suspicions that that is his plan, having turned down Gareth Southgate's under-21 call-up in November. However, he insists he is committed to England and that this was simply to concentrate on becoming a better centre-back, his preferred position. Mauricio Pochettino was unimpressed by this refusal to be more versatile, but Dier continues to play there in Kyle Walker and Kyle Naughton's absences. When the time comes, will he be a future England right-back or centre-back?
From Chester-le-Street, with Newcastle as my spiritual home. 24 years old, I'm at Sunderland University studying for a Sports Journalism MA. It's all about football and WWE. Wordplay jokes and puns are also encouraged.
