Tony Cascarino believes Tottenham midfielder Eric Dier is behind Declan Rice’s level

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Sky Sports pundit Tony Cascarino believes that Tottenham midfielder Eric Dier is now a level behind England teammate Declan Rice.

West Ham enforcer Rice has been drafted into the senior England squad for the first time during the international break and will be searching for his first cap.

The pair are set to compete for the defensive midfield role in Gareth Southgate’s team, while Liverpool’s Jordan Henderson is also in the mix.

Rice, 20, has received a lot of attention following his breakthrough season at West Ham and he’s a mature head on young shoulders.

Meanwhile, 25-year-old Dier is a regular in the England set-up and he’s had some bad luck with injuries at Spurs this season.

Cascarino has claimed that Rice has overtaken the Spurs destroyer and is more effective in midfield.

“He (Rice) is so composed, a master of simplicity who sits in front of the back four and refuses to give the ball away. He’s better than Eric Dier, who does a similar job for Tottenham Hotspur,” Cascarino told the Times.

Dier’s had a frustrating campaign that has been heavily disrupted, but when he’s on form he’s a key player for both club and country.

All the momentum appears to be with West Ham’s Rice right now, but he’s got to try handle the pressure of making the step up to international level and playing alongside better players.

The youngster definitely deserves his spot in the squad following his club displays, but it’s too soon to completely write off Dier.

Spurs should be delighted to have warrior Dier back to full fitness ahead of the Premier League race for the top four and also the Champions League quarter-final with Manchester City.