Eric Dier has rejected claims that he turned his back on the England Under-21s side by withdrawing from the squad, claiming that spending two weeks on the training ground is "the right thing to do".
The 20-year-old defender was left out of the Young Lions group, with manager Gareth Southgate revealing that the youngster wanted to train with Tottenham Hotspur rather than take part in the friendly against Portugal this evening.
It led to many questioning the commitment of Dier, suggesting that he does not want to represent his country of birth, although he insists that those claims "couldn't be further from the truth".
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.
"I spoke to Gareth Southgate and we were in complete agreement that it was the right thing to do," he told Spurs' official website. "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."
Dier made the move to White Hart Lane in the summer from Sporting Lisbon.
