Bayern Munich defender explains why he turned down signing for Everton - 'I am incredibly grateful'

Eric Dier has explained why he did not sign for Everton earlier in his career.

The current Bayern Munich defender spent a period on loan with the Toffees' academy for 18 months earlier in his career while he played for Portuguese outfit Sporting CP.

He was just 17 when he moved to Goodison Park in January 2011 and helped the under-18s win the U18 Premier League. He also was part of the first team's pre-season tour of America and trained with them occasionally, as well as making appearances for the reserves.

At the end of his stint, then-manager David Moyes was keen to sign Dier on a permanent basis. However, he was keen to go back to Sporting before subsequently joining Tottenham Hotspur - and was a key player when England reached the World Cup semi-finals in 2018.

Speaking to Everton's match-day programme ahead of Monday's 1-1 draw against Crystal Palace, Dier - who made the switch to German giants Bayern in the January transfer window - said: "It was just a loan deal, ultimately, and at the end of it, Everton did want to sign me.

“I spoke to David Moyes a few times near the end and the club were keen on that, but I felt like the right thing for me to do was to go back to Sporting.

“Having started there as a youngster, my motivation was always to play for them. They were my club at the time and I had ambitions to play for the first team.

“Everton put me in a position where I could do that and I am incredibly grateful to them, which is why I am happy to do an interview like this one to talk about them. Everton will always hold a special place in my heart for what they did for me.

“But at the time, Sporting just felt like the right place for me to be. I left and went back under very amicable circumstances, the manager was great with me through it all.”

On his spell at Everton, Dier said: Inside the building (at Finch Farm), there was a fantastic culture – it felt like a family. Obviously, it’s a huge Premier League club, but inside the training ground it felt very tight-knit.

“I felt like the culture at the Club was incredible. I think that had been instilled by the manager at the time [David Moyes]. He’d been there a long time and had a lot of great players and professionals playing underneath him.

“You had Phil Neville, Mikel Arteta, Marouane Fellaini, Sylvain Distin, Leighton Baines, Seamus Coleman, Phil Jagielka, so many top players. To see them in action was great for me.

“I remember you’d see Phil Neville walking out onto the pitch with a bag of balls over his shoulder. He was the captain leading the team out to training.

“I’d add Bill Kenwright, too. I think the club was a reflection of him at that time. Very warm with a real family feel to it.”