No wonder Roy Hodgson has been watching so much of Tottenham lately.
Not only has Mauricio Pochettino been developing so many English players; they give the national manager interesting options, as the promotion of Eric Dier emphasises.
Dier won most of his Under-21 caps in central defence, and could also serve at right-back, but his senior call-up is as a midfield player because he has been so impressive in a holding role under Pochettino this season, helping to make Spurs as structurally solid and hard to beat as any team in the Premier League.
England have lacked a truly effective performer of this kind since injury afflicted Owen Hargreaves and, if Dier is a candidate for the European Championship next summer — which he should be — there is no time to waste.
Let him start in Alicante on Friday. And let’s not overlook the possibility of pairing him with young clubmate Dele Alli, who, in the absence of Ryan Mason, has proved intelligent enough to adapt to the deeper role. And let’s not forget Mason either, even if he’s missing from the squad for the friendlies against Spain and France.
Liverpool’s Jordan Henderson is another absentee but can be expected back when fit to swell the numbers suddenly available for this very important position, allowing Hodgson to use 4-2-3-1 against the better teams — such as Spain and France — whom England might encounter next summer.
Five key issues for Tottenham during the international break
It’s a popular formation partly because it gives the full-backs greater freedom but an additional benefit for England might be that John Stones — a footballing central defender of such potential that Barcelona will surely be eyeing him — can safely make forays into midfield, bringing his passing skills to bear in areas where the opposition can be hurt.
Dier, for example, could easily cover at the back. But who knows what is in Hodgson’s mind for the tournament? All we know is that he finds such food for thought more than palatable.
