Eric - I want to be better player for club and country

Eric Dier is delighted that the decision to spend two weeks at Hotspur Way working on his game during the international break has the full backing and support of England Under-21 Head Coach Gareth Southgate.

Eric has been a regular member of the England Under-21 squad this season and as our players headed off to join up with their respective countries this week, Eric has been given permission to remain at our Enfield training base as he continues his settling in process following his summer move from Portuguese side Sporting Lisbon.

"I spoke to Gareth Southgate and we were in complete agreement that it was the right thing to do," said Eric.

"We had an open conversation and I think he was happy that I could be so honest with him. If he wasn't completely fine with this then I would never have asked because I would never want to put him in a difficult position.

"He has been fantastic with the whole situation and is really easy to talk to. I certainly would never want to give him or anyone else the wrong impression.

"It not a case that I don't want to play for England, that couldn't be further from the truth.

"It has been a hectic start to the season for me and I have been delighted with the number of games I've played so far.

"Obviously, I have just moved clubs and even though I represent England I have not lived here since I was really young so I am still adapting to my new environment.

"I just felt that this two-week period gives me the opportunity to work on parts of my game that I have had problems with over the past two months, personal elements I need to work on both physically and on the football pitch that I think will make me a better player for both club and country in the long-term.

"It is far from a rest. This is a period where I can spend time at my new club and put a lot of work in to improve because during the season these opportunities do not come around too often for Spurs or England because of the number of games we have to prepare for."

When asked about suggestions that he is not happy playing at right-back, Eric was unwavering in his response: "I will never complain to a manager about what position I play as long as I am playing - I'd even play centre-forward if I was asked to."