"You can't underestimate..." – Sky Sports reporter drops claim on Spurs ace transformed by Conte

Sky Sports reporter Michael Bridge has singled out Eric Dier’s importance to Antonio Conte’s Tottenham team.

The 45-cap England centre-back has become a key part of the defence this season following on from a difficult spell under Jose Mourinho.

It’s been an up and down season for Tottenham, especially at the back, but when Dier has been present, they’ve looked a more assured and composed outfit.

Having spent most of January and much of February out with a muscle problem, it came as little surprise that Dier’s return from injury culminated in Spurs’ 3-2 victory at Manchester City. His WhoScored rating (6.21) didn’t do his performance justice, but he made eight clearances, which was more than any of his teammates.

Against Leeds on Saturday, while the game was mainly about Tottenham’s attacking prowess, Dier made another six clearances, once again the joint-most, and managed to show his ability on the ball with a pass success rate of 89.1 percent.

Dier’s significance to the side was highlighted even more so when he wasn’t even playing. In the recent defeats to Southampton and Wolves, Spurs looked at sixes and sevens without the England defender, conceding five times in those two home games.

When asked about his recent form, he told GIVEMESPORT: “You can’t underestimate the importance of Eric Dier to this Tottenham team.”

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The Three Lions don’t play a competitive game until the summer, with friendlies to come against Switzerland and Ivory Coast, so Gareth Southgate might be looking to rotate his squad and call up a few new faces.

Dier has been capped 45 times but hasn’t played for his country since November 2020.

But given his consistency