Eric Dier insists that he wants to persevere at the back for Tottenham after a disappointing 3-1 defeat at Sheffield United opened up him and the squad to plenty of criticism and questions.
Spurs' hopes of making the top four are now all-but over following the shock loss at Bramall Lane last week, with Dier struggling as the Blades had a field day.
The 26-year-old has gone from a strong midfielder to a shaky defender under Jose Mourinho but despite his perceived troubles in defence, he is still desperate to prove himself.
He told Sky Sports' Soccer Saturday: "I felt very good in the first two games (since the restart). Obviously we are very disappointed with the Sheffield result and the performance as a whole.
"I'm happy to prove myself there at the back."
Tottenham are struggling back in ninth in the Premier League after enjoying the life as a perennial top-four side under Mauricio Pochettino.
But Dier is adamant that his team have not given up on landing a European spot for next term.
He continued: "If it's a Champions League spot or the Europa League, we'll see. The Champions League will be a difficult task but we'll try everything.
"We will still do everything to get a Europa League place. We want to do everything to get European football."
Dier added his disgust at watching back Harry Kane's disallowed goal during the Sheffield United loss after Lucas Moura was adjudged to have provided a handball, a decision which has been roundly criticised.
"It's very difficult to understand how the goal was disallowed even after watching it back several times. Something needs to be done about the handball rule moving forward," Dier added.
