02 November 2023 , 08:50
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Jose Mourinho attempted to bring Eric Dier to Old Trafford during his time as Manchester United manager, and may now come back in for the centre-back.
The Portuguese was accused of destabilising Dier by Spurs' then-manager Mauricio Pochettino after attempting to seal a deal for the England international with a view to using him as a central midfielder. Ultimately, Spurs knocked back United interest and Mourinho turned his attention towards Nemanja Matic.
Dier has since been used more frequently as a central defender in North London, including during Mourinho's time in charge, though the summer arrival of Ange Postecoglou has seen the 29-year-old sidelined. Now, as Roma defender Chris Smalling struggles with injury, fresh reports suggest ex-Spurs boss Mourinho could be in line for a reunion with Dier in the Italian capital.
According to Corriere dello Sport (via Football Italia), Dier is one of Mourinho's top preferences as he seeks reinforcements at the back. Smalling, a regular last term, has only played three Serie A games this season after suffering with tendonitis.
Dier is out of contract over the summer, and would likely fit the price profile favoured by the Giallorossi. The majority of Roma's summer signings arrived for free or on loan, with Leandro Paredes the only permanent signing to command a fee.
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While there was reported interest in Dier over the summer, the former Sporting CP man remained in North London. New arrival Micky van de Ven has taken his place in the side, though, with Dier yet to play a single minute under Postecoglou.
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Eric Dier has yet to play for Spurs this season (Katie Chan/Action Plus/REX/Shutterstock)"I found out that United have made an approach and the player is being destabilised," Pochettino wrote in his book Brave New World, as quoted by the Mail when addressing previous interest from Mourinho. "His people have been putting pressure on him, although United are not promising anything,"
"Mourinho and I had finished our interviews at Old Trafford and the players were doing their warm-down on the pitch. When Jose was done with the press, he stood by the entrance to the tunnel and regarded the returning players.
"He greeted Moussa Sissoko and hugged Dier. They passed by me en route to the dressing rooms, laughing, and speaking in Portuguese. Maybe it is a common Mourinho tactic, but he put Eric in a compromising position. You cannot do that after a defeat."
After turning his attention to Matic, though, Mourinho insisted the Serbian was always the player he wanted. I have the player that I want to have (Matic). Probably I have the player I didn’t think it was possible to have... but we got the player I really wanted,” he said.