Tottenham have confirmed Eric Dier will not play in the final game of the season due to groin surgery he received this week. It comes on the same day that Gareth Southgate left him out of England's squad for Euro 2024 qualifiers against Malta and North Macedonia in June.
Whilst the 29-year-old missed the 2-1 defeat to Aston Villa, football.london understands it is an injury he has played through for much longer with the issue having been ongoing for months. It is now too bad to continue with for any longer and he won't be available for Ryan Mason in the away trip to Elland Road on Sunday.
In a statement, Spurs announced the news, writing: "We can confirm that Eric Dier has undergone groin surgery this week and will, therefore, be unavailable for our final game of the season, away to Leeds United on Sunday afternoon.
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"The defender will commence rehabilitation with our medical staff before joining up with the squad ahead of the start of pre-season."
When asked about their availability against Villa last weekend, Mason said that both he and Japhet Tanganga were out with fitness issues. "Yes, they're both injured," he said. "We're not sure, not entirely sure on both of them [for a timeframe]. I wasn't able to select either of them today."
Dier had started 31 of the 36 league games heading into the match at Villa Park and had featured in all but two of the games across Antonio Conte and Cristian Stellini's management.
He will now be preparing to return ahead of pre-season with a view to forcing a way back into Southgate's side with Tyrone Mings amongst those picked for the two upcoming games.
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