Eric Dier will start in midfield ahead of Wayne Rooney in England's 2018 World Cup qualifier against Slovenia tomorrow night, Gareth Southgate has confirmed.
Rooney has been dropped for the clash in Ljubljana but Southgate has stressed that the decision not to include his captain was made purely for tactical reasons.
The 30-year-old was booed after winning his 117th cap at the weekend and has only been deemed worthy of a place on the bench, with question marks over his ability to play in midfield still high on the agenda.
Dier is set to be the beneficiary of Southgate's bold decision and will be paired with Jordan Henderson in midfield, with the Liverpool skipper set to take the armband in Rooney's absence.
Southgate said of Dier's inclusion: "I think it's clear that you're talking about two different profiles of player, different attributes, different skills and that's entirely the basis of the decision.
"We're away from home, a different tactical challenge we expect from the opposition so as the coach you've got to look at what's the right set-up for that game," he added.
Dier started all of England's games at Euro 2016 - as well as Sam Allardyce's sole fixture in charge - but missed the victory over Malta through injury.
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The 22-year-old could be one of four Spurs players to start the game as Kyle Walker, Danny Rose and Dele Alli are also in contention.
England are currently top of Group F and another victory tomorrow will put the Three Lions in a commanding position as they attempt to qualify for the tournament in Russia.
