England substitute stars show that Dele Alli won't be missed after injury blow, says Eric Dier

Few players know the significance of losing Dele Alli through injury better than Eric Dier, but the midfielder is confident England can cope against Panama on Sunday without his Tottenham team-mate.

Alli looks certain to miss England’s second World Cup group game after suffering a thigh problem during the 2-1 victory over Tunisia on Monday.

The 22-year-old is set to miss the next few days of training and, with England’s toughest match of this stage to come against Belgium tomorrow week, the midfielder will not be risked against the Central Americans.

Dier watched the majority of the 2-1 win over Tunisia from the bench as second-half substitutes Marcus Rashford and Ruben Loftus-Cheek injected the fresh impetus England needed that led to Harry Kane’s late strike.

And Dier told Standard Sport: “Yes, of course they [Rashford and Loftus-Cheek] can handle it. They’re quality players. They have been in pressure situations before — nothing like a World Cup, but they have proven their ability.

“Against Tunisia, we saw the energy and the fearlessness of them, how direct they are, how aggressive they are. In possession they have fantastic individual qualities.

“Whether they come in for Dele is a question for the manager. But they are young and exciting players who are ready to make their mark.”

It is normal for players to stress the importance of the squad in interviews, but Dier points to the last World Cup as an example of just how accurate a statement it is.

It was substitutes Andre Schurrle and Mario Gotze who combined for the latter’s winner for Germany in the World Cup Final against Argentina.

Dier added: “Of course, the role of the bench is key. If we want to go far in this tournament, we are going to need all 23 players, the staff, the fans here and at home. It’s a really important message.

“You just have to look at the last World Cup and who decided it — it was someone that came off the bench. Everyone is aware of that.

“If we want to be in this tournament for a long time, we are going to need everyone — and everyone will play a big part.”

Given Raheem Sterling’s disappointing outing at the Volgograd Arena, there is a strong possibility Rashford and Loftus-Cheek could both be starters this weekend.

Rashford ran at the Tunisia players with pace and intent, while Loftus-Cheek, who replaced Alli, provided flair and combined well with his team-mates just as the Spurs man had in the early stages before injuring his thigh.

The 22-year-old surprisingly stayed on for 80 minutes in the end, with perhaps the adrenalin of performing at his first-ever World Cup helping him ignore the discomfort.

Now, though, Alli is facing the possibility of seeing someone else take his place in the team and worrying about a niggling problem that could hamper his chance to shine in Russia.

According to Dier, that prospect will not faze his Spurs team-mate.

“One of Dele’s attributes is that he is always positive, always has a good mindset, is always looking forward,” he said. “I hope he can continue to play a big part for us and I’m sure he will. He can show his fantastic quality here.”

Thanks to Kane’s fine brace against the Tunisians, England have already begun to show their quality.

Dier was part of the England side that drew their opening game at Euro 2016 against Russia, when a fine performance was undone by conceding a late equaliser.

This time, it was England finding the telling goal before the final whistle — and Dier reveals the contrast in emotions in the camp is telling.

“The mood in training is a lot better than at the same stage two years ago,” he explained. “It’s really positive. There was lots of energy and banter flying around in training on Tuesday.

“There has been a really good vibe between us from the beginning and it will only get better. That’s only natural.

“We need to build on this positive energy and ride the wave. Hopefully, we can continue to get better.

“The message from the manager after the Tunisia game was to keep working in the same way, not to get too excited by it. There is so much work to be done, so much more we can improve on, so much more that we can do.

“No one is going over the top about it. Things will get harder and harder, so we have to be ready to increase our level.

“I saw the first half of Belgium’s game against Panama and they had a tough time. They managed to win quite comfortably [3-0] in the end, but by no means does that make us think this game is going to be easy.

“Panama look very strong, athletic, dynamic. They will cause different problems to us than Tunisia.”