Christian Eriksen and Eric Dier have been named by Tottenham’s ex-nutritionist as the two best conditioned players at the club.
Elite sports nutritionist Matt Lovell, who spent seven years at White Hart Lane until he left at the end of last season, told Football London that Danish attacking midfielder Eriksen and newly named England captain Dier are in the top shape of the current squad.
The nutritionist’s role involves running a battery of tests, leaving no room for players to sneak around the fitness standards required of them.
Asked who are the top physical specimens at Spurs, Lovell namechecked two of the first names on Mauricio Pochettino’s teamsheet.
“Christian Eriksen is an amazing athlete. Eric Dier also is a workhorse. They’re all great,” said Lovell.
“The way the club is run is so professional. One of the things they’ve got is that the management listen to the sports science department so training is all integrated. It’s not like you’ve got two separate things going on.
“They know how long they can train them on the pitch and when they need to rest.”
OPINION
Elite sport is all about marginal gains and sports science is a key element of that. Spurs are a club at the cutting edge of diet, nutrition, fitness, medicine and conditioning. Lovell left at the end of last season to be replaced by three new nutritionists, and even one of Mauricio Pochettino’s own sons works for the sports science department. It is little wonder that the team are lean, mean fighting machines and nor is it a surprise that workhorses Dier and Eriksen, two dedicated professionals who are always in the team, are regarded as two of the best physical specimens at the club.