Eric Dier to stay behind Victor Wanyama in Tottenham midfield queue, says Mauricio Pochettino

Mauricio Pochettino has indicated that Eric Dier has little chance of returning to the Tottenham midfield while Victor Wanyama is there.

Dier was this week linked with a summer move to Manchester United, interest that seems likely to be followed up at the end of the campaign.

Despite excelling in midfield for Spurs last season and has been used in that role for England, Wanyama and Mousa Dembele forming an excellent partnership in the centre for Pochettino’s team appears to leave little chance of Dier regaining his preferred spot.

Dier now operates in a three-man defence alongside Toby Alderweireld and Jan Vertonghen in the 3-4-2-1 system, whereas last season he was a deep midfielder in a 4-2-3-1.

The 23-year-old is not quite as certain in defence, although he played there when he first joined Spurs, as he did during his early career at Sporting Lisbon.

Pochettino explained: “It is a good thing that Eric can play in different positions – as a midfielder, a centre-back, a full-back. You have to analyse where he came from.

“I think people are a bit confused, sometimes. We signed him as a player with potential and we provided all the tools for him to become a Premier League player, playing well.

“In my first season (2014/15) he played at right-back and centre-back, but never as a midfielder. In summer 2015, we were looking at midfielders and we had plenty of options but I decided to play him in midfield.

“I created a system that he felt comfortable in. When we did not have possession, he played as a midfielder. When we had the ball, he played as a third centre-back, in between Jan Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld.

“Then we signed Wanyama, and you can see [how good] his performances have been so far. When there were injuries at different times to Toby and Jan, Eric was the perfect player to move to centre-back.

"It is good for a player to play in different positions and to do well in every one.”