Glenn Hoddle has lavished praise on Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and admitted that the midfielder is exactly the kind of player Tottenham needed in the middle of the park.
It is fair to say that Hojbjerg was by no means the most glamorous acquisition that Tottenham made out of the seven players which the club recruited during the summer transfer window.
However, so far, he has not just proven to be Tottenham’s best addition but arguably also the signing of the summer across the Premier League in our opinion.
Hoddle admitted that he was not quite sure what the Dane would bring to the table when Spurs signed him from Southampton.
The legendary midfielder told The Sun: “He’s an absolute classic Jose Mourinho player. He needed a player like him in midfield.
“Early on in the season, I wasn’t sure what he was going to do, was he going to be an out-and-out stopper?
“He’s better than that. He uses the ball really well, he keeps it simple and knows what his attributes are.
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“For that style of player, he’s way ahead of anyone in the league this year. He’s playing superbly well and drops into the back four.
“He protects the centre-halves. He has been outstanding with and without the ball.”
While Hoddle acknowledged that the former Southampton man has been Tottenham’s best player this season, both with and without the ball, he insisted that the 25-year-old’s best quality are his leadership instincts.
The former Spurs manager claimed that the midfielder was an extension of Mourinho on the pitch.
Hoddle said: “The one criteria he has got, which is going out of the game, is he’s a genuine leader on the pitch.
“He’ll tell people where to go, he’ll boss them about, he’s a winner, you can see that. He’s almost like an annoying winner.
“He asks for every tackle, every foul, every throw-in, even when he knows it’s not theirs, but that’s what you do as a pro.
“He’s got that desire and winning mentality. I see him as Jose’s little bit of an extension onto the pitch.
“I know Lloris is the captain, but I see him as the driving force of the team, and bossing people about.
“At the moment, he’s playing well himself, but I don’t think it would matter to him whether he’s playing good, bad or indifferent.
“He would still boss people around and that’s the sign of good leadership.”
Spurs Web Opinion
While Hojberg is a very good athlete and technically decent on the ball, what sets him apart from others is his ability to read the game and sense danger. Most of the ball recoveries and interceptions come about because of the Dane’s positional awareness. I do not see too many players in world football who are capable of playing his current role better than the 25-year-old.
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