For me, the only real surprise from
England's
Euro 2020 squad was
Eric Dier being left out, at least of the provisional 33.
Eric's a leader, he enjoys responsibility and he has got the experience of previous tournaments. I know
Gareth Southgate said it was his most difficult decision and, having worked with Eric this season at
Tottenham, for the majority he was excellent, especially at the beginning.
It was the first year he committed to playing just one position but I think the team's dip in form played a part in him not making the squad. It doesn't help when you don't have a consistent partner and there are a lot of changes around the back four.
I haven't spoken to him since the last day of the season, but we obviously had discussions throughout. Even when the team was performing well and we weren't conceding many, there still seemed to be a negative narrative around the defenders. There were individual mistakes from Eric and others — and that's what people remember.
Ledley King, what does he know...