Tottenham's Eric Dier Ruled Out Until January Following Urgent Surgery

Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Eric Dier will miss the side's festive period after he required emergency surgery to remove his appendix.

Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Eric Dier will miss the side's festive period after he required emergency surgery to remove his appendix.

Dier missed Tottenham's 1-0 victory over Burnley on Saturday with what was described as a virus, but the club have now confirmed that he was diagnosed with appendicitis and required treatment.

A statement of the club's official website read: "Eric Dier has undergone surgery to remove his appendix.

"The England international midfielder was diagnosed with appendicitis after contacting our medical staff due to acute Abdominal pain. He received immediate treatment to assess and then remove the appendix.

"He will now undergo a period of recovery before commencing rehabilitation and it is expected he will return to training with the squad in January.

📰 @ericdier has undergone surgery to remove his appendix.

He will now undergo a period of recovery before commencing rehabilitation and it is expected he will return to training with the squad in January.

— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) December 16, 2018

"Along with our Medical staff, we wish to thank the NHS for their excellent treatment of Eric."

With Dier unavailable, Mauricio Pochettino opted to give 18-year-old Oliver Skipp his first Premier League start against Burnley. Skipp played 75 minutes of the match but, with the score at 0-0, was eventually substituted for Son Heung-min.

Moussa Sissoko played alongside Skipp at the base of Tottenham's midfield, and the duo could continue their unlikely partnership for the foreseeable future, starting with an away trip to Everton on Sunday.

Dier has made 17 appearances for Tottenham this season and has even managed to find the back of the net on two occasions. He has emerged as a vital part of Pochettino's side, and will now be forced to watch his side's upcoming matches from the sidelines.

As well as the Everton fixture, Dier will almost certainly miss clashes with Bournemouth, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Cardiff City, and Pochettino will be keen to welcome Dier back to the team in time for the visit of Manchester United on 13 January.