Tottenham boss Andre Villas-Boas has told Brad Friedel that Hugo Lloris is his No1.

Villas-Boas wanted to minimise the pressure on Lloris and give him time to adapt. And Lloris's patience has paid off, with him starting in the last five Premier League matches.

And asked prior to this afternoon's clash with Swansea whether Lloris was now his premier pick, Villas-Boas said: "At the moment, you would have to say so."

Villas-Boas also stressed that Lloris had NEVER asked to leave the club in the January window because he was out of the team.

"No, he never said that to me," said the Tottenham boss. He added: "It was difficult for him when he arrived. It was just before the game against ­Norwich and it was not easy for him. There were expectations that he would go straight into the team."