Report reveals Mourinho wants to develop this Spurs youngster into ‘next Hojbjerg’

Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg may not have been the most high-profile of the seven acquisitions Tottenham Hotspur made during the transfer window but he has certainly proved to be one of the most crucial so far.

The midfielder has fit seamlessly into the Spurs system and has become indispensable for Jose Mourinho’s side, as demonstrated by the fact that he is the only outfield player to play every single minute of the club’s Premier League campaign so far (transfermarkt.com).

Spurs fans will be hoping that the former Southampton star remains injury-free as the club arguably lack any other player with similar attributes in their squad.

However, Football.London reports that Mourinho already believes he has a ready-made replacement for Hojbjerg next season in Oliver Skipp.

The youngster has made an impressive start to his loan spell at Norwich City and will be hoping to build on that and continue his development before returning to North London next summer.

Football.London suggest that Skipp has made a huge impression on Mourinho, which was one of the reasons the young midfielder was handed a new contract before joining the Canaries.

The report claims that the Portuguese coach rates Skipp’s defensive ability higher than Harry Winks’ and the England Under-21 international will thus get sufficient game time when he returns to Tottenham next season.

It is said that the Spurs boss wants to develop the tough-tackling 20-year-old into a similar profile of player as Hojbjerg.

Spurs Web Opinion

Skipp certainly seems to have all the attributes to develop into a top defensive midfielder. His awareness is excellent for someone so young and it is evident that he loves a tackle. He could potentially even offer more on the ball in the long-term than Hojbjerg can. It will certainly be great for the youngster to have someone like the Dane to learn from once he returns from his loan spell next season.

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