Dier: “Imagine that first game back with the fans!”

Eric Dier is daring to dream of the scenes when he next steps out in front of a packed Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

The country has been in lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic since mid-March and the professional game in England is still suspended. However, the first steps towards restarting the Premier League, when safe to do so, were taken this week with the implementation of Step One of the Return to Training Protocol, enabling squads to train while maintaining social distancing. Contact training is not yet permitted.

Eric has joined his team-mates back at Hotspur Way for the first time in over two months and he’s dreaming of that first occasion everything really is back to ‘normal’, and we’re playing in front of over 62,000 fans again at our new stadium.

“From all the lads I’ve spoken to, everyone is okay, everyone has handled the situation well, and we’re all just desperate to get back to playing football now,” said the England international.

“It’s going to be a great atmosphere when we’re all back together, training together, playing together. We’ll be back doing something we haven’t been able to do for ages, and that will be a real boost.

“The same goes for the fans. Imagine that first game back with the fans! That moment... I’m sure the atmosphere at the games will be incredible. Everyone will take a minute to remember how lucky we all are to play in front of our fans and really appreciate them, which will be nice.”