Eric Dier has thanked Tottenham Hotspur boss Jose Mourinho for having the faith to play him as a centre-back, intimating that his predecessor Mauricio Pochettino didn’t fancy the idea.
Dier has been played in central defence for much of Mourinho’s year-long spell in North London so far, after replacing Pochettino last November.
And for the most part, it has worked brilliantly well for Tottenham.
With Spurs boasting a lot of midfielders, Dier would barely feature for the North Londoners without the Portuguese using him in defence.
And Dier has admitted on Sky Sports that he’s grateful for the chances to impress, claiming that a positional switch was on his mind even before Mourinho’s arrival, though Pochettino seemed reluctant.
He said: “It was a decision I made before the manager arrived. It was something I spoke about with Pochettino over various seasons and it seemed like the time was right. It felt like I needed to make that commitment and move forward.
“I had that conversation when the manager arrived and I told him how I felt about it and the commitment I’d made to myself. And he completely respected that. It [playing centre-back] is where I feel most confident. It’s where I feel I can be the best player I can be.”
Dier, who earns £72,000 per week, has Tottenham fans on his side right now.
But this is a player who is never far from criticism, though that in itself could be considered a positive thing because perhaps it reminds him to never take his foot of the gas, to constantly improve.
Going by his comments here, he clearly feels more confident as a centre-back than any other position and long may it last.
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