Jamie Redknapp suggests that the Tottenham Hotspur man looks a different player….for the wrong reasons.
Jamie Redknapp has suggested to The Mail that Victor Wanyama’s arrival at Tottenham Hotspur has seen Eric Dier regress a little.
The Kenyan defensive midfielder joined Tottenham from Southampton for £11 million in the summer, according to The Mail.
It is early days, but the 25-year-old is becoming a very popular figure among Spurs fans for his performances since arriving at White Hart Lane.
Wanyama has been so impressive, in fact, that manager Mauricio Pochettino has played Dier in defence this season to facilitate the ex-Celtic man, and dropped him for the 2-0 win over Manchester City prior to the international break.
The 22-year-old was back in his anchoring role for England’s 0-0 draw with Slovenia last night, but Redknapp claims that the Redknapp does not look like his old self and believes Wanyama’s arrival has seen him lose a bit of confidence.
“Eric Dier is not the player he was last season. There was almost a strut to him last year with Tottenham and England, but I feel Victor Wanyama has had an effect on him,” Redknapp told The Mail.
“There’s that little competition for places and he is slightly lacking in confidence. On Tuesday night he was caught twice with back passes in the first half.
“When you’re playing well, your first thought is to play the ball forward but he was trying to take the safe option. He’ll get through this and he could be England’s captain one day, but no doubt it’s made a difference to his game.”
Wanyama is undoubtedly the better player at this moment in time, but Dier, at just 22, will learn from competing with such a fine midfielder and it will certainly improve him in the long-term. In the short term, the Kenya international is likely to start Saturday’s trip to West Brom.
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