Eric Dier has admitted to Sky Sports News that he felt as if Tottenham Hotspur were going to sell him at one point.
The England international is arguably the most-improved player under Jose Mourinho in comparison to his form under Mauricio Pochettino, who was sacked in November.
Much of that is because the Tottenham boss has been playing Dier as a centre-back, whereas Pochettino signed him as a midfielder – and used him there for the most part.
Tweaking his position seems to have given the 26-year-old a second wind in North London, where he signed a contract extension recently.
And although Dier admits that he’s delighted with his new position, the former Sporting Lisbon talent, who joined under Pochettino in 2014, has revealed there were times when he thought his Spurs career was finished.
He said: “This season has been a bit up and down for me, and there was a time where I didn’t feel like my future would be here. But things have changed since then and I am really happy with where I am at with the club, the manager and the position I am playing in.
“I want to be playing in the position I see to be my best. Thankfully I am in a place now where the club and manager feel the same way.”
Fair play to Dier, because ‘up and down’ is definitely an accurate description of a 2019-20 campaign that saw him get a second chance at Tottenham and a four-match ban for confronting a supporter in the stands after an FA Cup defeat.
But he seems optimistic about his future under Mourinho and if the Portuguese can take him to the next level defensively, as he has with so many players during his trophy-laden career in management, then it’s a great thing for all parties.
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