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Tim Sherwood has stated that Tottenham defender Eric Dier is a big favourite of his manager Jose Mourinho.

Dier, who cost Spurs £4million (BBC) over six years ago, is back to being a regular starter for the North London club and the arrival of Mourinho has been excellent for him.

The 26-year-old was beginning to stagnate as a midfielder during the end of Mauricio Pochettino reign despite his previous success, which is why the change of manager was good for him to help get back to his best.

Mourinho opted to give the England international a permanent role as a centre-back, something that wasn’t totally unfamiliar to him after previously playing that position earlier in his career.

He’s now playing arguably his best ever football as an ever-present at centre-half and has a great partnership alongside Toby Alderweireld.

Sherwood has claimed that Dier has become a favourite of the Portuguese manager.

“I think he’s versatile. He’s a very good Premier League player, but he likes to defend the box,” Sherwood said, as quoted by talkSPORT.

“Eric has told the manager he wanted to play centre-back. He told Pochettino he wanted to play there and he didn’t listen. Jose has put him in his correct position and he really likes him.

TBR’s View:

There were doubts about the positive influence Mourinho could have on the players within the Spurs camp, but attackers Harry Kane and Heung-Min Son have silenced any fears that he would limit their goal threat.

Meanwhile, Mourinho has historically been able to get the best out of his defensive players and the trust from him in Dier has clearly given him a major lift.

The all-action centre-back looks far more suited in the backline than a deeper midfield position and his club performance surely give him a good chance of starting for Gareth Southgate’s England team.