Lucas Moura's qualities, intelligence make him a fit at Tottenham - Eric Dier
Channel: NaK-iDo
Date: 2018-02-28

LONDON -- Eric Dier said Lucas Moura boasts the deadly combination of pace and a final ball as the Brazilian prepares for another opportunity to impress in Tottenham Hotspur's FA Cup fifth-round replay against Rochdale.

Lucas, who joined Spurs from Paris Saint-Germain for £24.5 million last month, impressed on his full debut in the FA Cup fifth-round at Spotland a fortnight ago, scoring in a 2-2 draw, and he is expected to start again in the replay at Wembley Stadium.

Mauricio Pochettino has long wanted a player who can add pace and directness in the final third but Aaron Lennon, Andros Townsend, Clinton N'Jie and Georges-Kevin N'Koudou have all failed to make the grade.

In Lucas, Dier believes Spurs have finally signed a wide-man who can combine both.

"He is going to bring exactly what you saw from him," Dier said. "He's direct. He's fast. Technically, he's very good, even though he's travelling at a high speed a lot of the time. I think one of his qualities that I really enjoy is that even though he's fast and moves at pace, he still sees a pass and he's still intelligent.

"Sometimes it's difficult for players that have these attributes to still have the calmness in the final third and see the right pass and the right situation, and I think that's a great quality that he has to go along with his other attributes."

Dier displayed his invaluable versatility again in Tottenham's 1-0 win at Crystal Palace on Sunday when he dropped back into defence after Jan Vertonghen injured an ankle the day before.


Charlotte Wilson/Offside/Getty Images
With Toby Alderweireld also missing with a hamstring problem, it was the first time Spurs had been without both Belgian centre-backs for a league match since Alderweireld joined the club in summer 2015, but Dier was among Spurs' best players alongside summer signing Davinson Sanchez.

"I think is the first time we've played together [in a two]," Dier said. "I feel like we felt very good together. With good players everything is easy enough and I feel like we had a very good understanding from the beginning.

"But a lot of it is down to the XI, not just the two of us. I think the structure is in place for any player to come in and feel comfortable in any situation."

Dier also expressed his regret that Vertonghen missed the game through injury because of his form this season.


"It was really disappointing for Jan to miss the game," Dier said. "He's having a fantastic season and from that point of view I was upset at having to drop back, because he doesn't deserve that given the way he's been playing. But this is football and I'm really happy with how the game went. Within this team, it's easy to play in any position because I think the structure's in place for us to feel comfortable wherever we play."

With Vertonghen and Alderweireld still absent, Dier is expected to be rested for Rochdale's visit, with Sanchez and Juan Foyth starting at centre-half, but he should return to midfield on Saturday as Vertonghen is expected to be fit for the match against Huddersfield Town.