Eric Dier has reportedly clarified that he never wanted to hand in a transfer request to Tottenham in order to seal a a switch to Manchester United.
In an interview with The Sun, Eric Dier has insisted that he never had any intention of handing in a transfer request to move to Manchester United this summer despite being a priority target for Jose Mourinho.
Dier has cleared the air about all speculation surrounding his exit, claiming his sole focus remains on football rather than a possible transfer. “I think it’s best if footballers worry about playing football,” Dier said. “I take the philosophy that if I worry about the football everything else will take care of itself.”
Dier is understood to be quite happy with Mauricio Pochettino and has never had any intention of exiting the title-challenging club. The player is currently part of an exciting group of young talent at Spurs alongside the likes of Dele Alli and Harry Kane, and he wants to continue with the same.
A naturally versatile defensive player, Dier has been utilized as a defensive midfielder, a centre-back and a right-back on several occasions. He spent his youth as a Sporting Lisbon player and was also loaned to Everton. However, he made his professional debut for the Portuguese heavyweights back in 2012.
Dier can perform the holding midfielder role quite well and has been one of the best in the position in the Premier League in the last two seasons. Having joined Tottenham for £4 million in back in 2014, the player has since made nearly 150 first-team appearances, scoring eight goals.
While he is clearly one of the most promising Premier League talents, it is evident that he needs to work on his focus on field. More often than not, Dier has been unable to maintain a consistent amount of concentration while playing on field.
The 23-year-old England international was on Jose Mourinho’s radar to improve United’s midfield situation before they signed Nemanja Matic instead. The Red Devils needed a strong midfielder – a player that could help them transition smoothly from defense to attack and boost their chances.
In retrospect, Dier would have been a great option for the Red Devils. All that said and done, it was still going to be quite tough for Mourinho to wrest Dier away from Pochettino.
The Spurs’ boss is known for his resilience in ensuring his best players stay back with the club and he has managed to do so for several of the young Tottenham players – Dier being the latest addition to that list.