Eric Dier says the presence of Jose Mourinho was the reason he signed a new contract with Tottenham.
The 26-year-old penned a four-year extension in July, and the former Sporting Lisbon man has revealed it was Mourinho's decision to play him at centre-back that led him to committing his future to Spurs.
"I had a health issue at the beginning of the [2019-20] season that I kept private and I had to have a little surgery, so I missed pre-season, so that obviously had a huge impact," he told GQ.
"I spoke to Pochettino then, as for many years we had spoken about me playing as a centre-back, and that was where I was going to gradually move to. And we had a really great conversation: I said, 'I think it's my best position, I think I can develop into something very, very good there. But it has to be now, otherwise I think I have to find another solution'.
"We talked for about two hours and he was really happy that I'd come to him and I had made that decision in my own mind. He said: 'OK, you've missed pre-season, so you'll have one now, don't worry if you're not playing for a couple of months, we'll get you physically in the right place'.
"I was completely calm about the situation. And the last couple of games before he left, I played at centre-back.
"So when the new manager came in, I started that dialogue again with Mourinho. For me that was the biggest part of wanting to stay at Tottenham and sign the new deal – it was purely footballing. I was really happy that Mourinho would give me the opportunity to play centre-back again and to prove myself there. I'm really excited."
