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Phil Neville has made the ridiculous assertion that Manchester United need to sign Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Eric Dier this summer, per Sky Sports.

Dier has struggled for form this season but Neville, the manager of the England Women’s team, believes that the 25-year-old should be on the club’s shortlist for the summer.

What’s the word?

Dier has been a key member of Mauricio Pochettino’s squad in recent seasons, making a total of 204 appearances for the club.

However, this season, Dier has struggled for form and consistency, enduring an injury-hit campaign.

He has completed 90 minutes 10 times in the Premier League, struggling with both appendicitis and tonsillitis.

Nevertheless, Neville believes that the England international would be a shrewd addition for United.

Asked by Sky Sports to name his dream signings for his former club, he said: "Eric Dier as the holding midfield player and Philippe Coutinho, who there has been a bit of speculation about.

"You have to have British players in a title-winning team. [Ander] Herrera, Fred and [Scott] McTominay are part of the squad. [Nemanja] Matic, this season, has had a dip."

Has he watched Dier?

This is an absolutely ridiculous assertion from Neville.

Dier has endured a below-average season at best and a poor one at worst.

Per WhoScored, he averages a total of 1.5 tackles per game in the Premier League – this is a player who is routinely deployed in a defensive midfield role – as well as 1.3 fouls. He makes just 0.4 blocks across 90 minutes on average along with 0.9 interceptions.

In attack, he completes 0.1 dribbles across a game, meaning he may as well not carry the ball forward at all. He also has 0.4 shots per game, 0.4 key passes and has a pass completion rate of just 84.3%.

This is far from the elite central midfielder that United need.

As for the claim that a title-winning team needs a British player, that does not even bear unpicking, such is its sheer stupidity. But for argument's sake, just two British players made 30+ Premier League appearances for Man City last season, and a mere four made above 17.