'He's direct, fast and spots a pass' - Eric Dier impressed by new Tottenham signing Lucas Moura

Impact | Lucas opened his Tottenham account against Rochdale last week
Tottenham Hotspur FC via Getty Images
Tom Collomosse28 February 2018

Eric Dier has warned Premier League defenders that new Tottenham signing Lucas Moura is as quick in his mind as he is over the ground.

Lucas has made a promising start to his Tottenham career, scoring on his full debut at Rochdale last week, and the Brazilian is expected to be in the starting XI for Wednesday night's FA Cup fifth-round replay against the League One club.

Mauricio Pochettino warned that Lucas would need time to adapt to English football following his £24.5million move from Paris Saint-Germain in January, but Dier is encouraged by what he has seen so far.

“Technically he is very good, even though he is travelling at high speed a lot of the time,” said Dier. “He is direct, he is fast. One of the qualities I really enjoy is that even though he moves at pace, he still sees a pass.

“He is still intelligent. Sometimes when players are very quick, it is difficult for them to have the calmness in the final third to see the right pass and the right situation. That’s a great quality he has.”

Dier was moved back to central defence in the 1-0 win at Crystal Palace, with both Toby Alderweireld and Jan Vertonghen absent through injury.

With the Belgians missing, Dier is likely again to be involved on Wednesday as he is one of only three fit centre-backs along with Davinson Sanchez and Juan Foyth. Foyth should start in a back four, with Pochettino choosing either Dier or Sanchez alongside him.

Alderweireld, who is in a contract dispute with the club, has suffered a new hamstring problem after spending three-and-a-half months out with his original hamstring injury, while Vertonghen had a scan on an ankle injury on Monday and faces a race to be ready for the Champions League tie against Juventus next week.

Meanwhile, Pochettino is optimistic that Tottenham will be able to occupy their new 62,000-seat stadium during the early weeks of next season —although he stressed that the £800million project could not be rushed. It is highly likely Spurs will ask the Premier League to stage their opening fixtures away from home, to allow extra time for building work to be completed on the new ground.

Pochettino said: “It’s true that we need to wait because still there is nothing confirmed but if we need to play maybe away from home for the first few games, that won’t worry me.

“I still believe we can arrive on time at the stadium from the beginning. But if it’s not possible then, of course, we are going to decide if we can play away from home. But it is so early to say anything because we need to see what is happening with our new stadium.

“The most important thing is for our fans, the team and everyone to be in a safe stadium. For me that is the most important thing because then it is a stadium that will be there forever.”

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