ERIC DIER was accused of going “full Steve McClaren” after making his Bayern Munich debut last night.
The defender, 30, joined the Bundesliga champions a fortnight ago from Tottenham after spending nine-and-a-half years in North London.
He was an unused substitute as Thomas Tuchel’s side lost 1-0 at home to Werder Bremen over the weekend.
Dier made his Bayern debut last night, replacing Dayot Upamecano at half-time during their 1-0 win over Union Berlin at Allianz Arena.
After the game, the England international told Sky Sports: “A very proud moment for me obviously to make my debut for this club.
“It’s a very proud moment for me and my family and obviously I really enjoyed it.
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“I really enjoy playing here and I’m happy to have made my debut here at this stadium.
“So I’m really happy with how I’ve settled and obviously to make my debut and hopefully I can continue to help my team.”
After the interview was posted to social media, many fans thought that Dier had done a McClaren by mimicking the German accent while speaking in English.
McClaren, now a first team coach at Manchester United, famously did something similar during his time at Dutch side FC Twente.
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One fan wrote: “Bro developed a German accent after 1 game.”
While, followed by a laughing emoji, a second asked: “Why’s he putting on a foreign accent?”
A third said: “Another Steve McClaren moment. Strong accent.”
And a fourth pointed out: “That accent came outta nowhere lol.”
Another cheekily added: “Been having lessons off Scheeeve McClaren?”
Soccer Saturday host Simon Thomas tweeted: “Absolutely magnificent.
“That embarrassingly common English habit of thinking a terrible accent equals a valiant attempt at speaking another language.”
Dier moved to Portugal with his family at the age of seven.
He is able to speak Portuguese fluently, and even used the language at times while chatting with former Tottenham manager Jose Mourinho.
The defender is also fluent in Spanish, which over the years has helped him communicate with team-mates that don’t speak English.
Dier came on with Bayern level at 0-0 against Union, but his side would take the lead within 30 seconds of his introduction.
The defender’s former Tottenham pal Harry Kane struck the post with a left-footed effort, with the ball ricocheting to Raphael Guerreiro.
He then did the rest, slotting the ball home with his right foot.
The match took a bizarre turn in the 74th minute when Union Berlin coach Nenad Bjelica was sent off for twice striking Leroy Sane in the face.
Sane had tried to retrieve the ball from Bjelica, only for it to be knocked away.
As a melee subsequently ensued, Dier could be seen trying to defend his new team-mate.
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Bayern’s win saw them close the gap with leaders Bayer Leverkusen to four points after 18 games.
Xabi Alonso’s table-toppers are yet to lose a Bundesliga game this season.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
