Former Everton midfielder Thomas Gravesen has warned Tottenham’s Pierre Emile Højbjerg to liven up in press conferences, or risk losing public support from fans in Denmark.
The former midfielder has been speaking to Tipsbladet regarding the midfielder and his other Danish teammates after something of a disappointing showing from the Tottenham man this week.
Hojbjerg sat alongside teammate Simon Kjaer for Denmark’s pre-match press conference this week ahead of their clash with San Marino this evening.
While the AC Milan defender was in fiery mood and nearly fell out with journalists in attendance over various questions, a situation avoided by the intervention of Denmark’s press officer, Højbjerg was on the other end of the emotional scale.
Alongside questions regarding the national team, he faced questions regarding his situation at Tottenham and a failed move to Atletico Madrid this summer.
The midfielder finds himself out of the picture at Tottenham under new boss Ange Postecoglou and had been linked with the Spanish side, who were reportedly very keen on him as their new defensive midfielder.
A deal did not happen, and he’s been left fighting for a place at Spurs, which seems unlikely to come his way if early indications are anything to go by.
It’s an emotive subject but Hojbjerg was in no mood to fan the flames, batting off questions when asked about the subject.
That somewhat scripted response did not impress Gravesen, who believes the midfielder needs to be doing more if he is to keep fans in his home country on side.
“I think that Simon Kjær and the national team – and this also applies to Pierre-Emile Højbjerg – you are the stars,” he said.
“You are the superstars. You play in AC Milan and in Tottenham. You will have to share what you have when you are with the national team.
“You don’t have to talk about privacy or how much you earn if that’s the problem. But you will have to share what it is to be on the national team. And that applies right from the top.
“He won’t mention anything about anything. So, we are not interested in creating something bad for you.
“We would like to know: ‘Well, Pierre-Emile Højbjerg, would it be super cool for you to come to Atlético Madrid and end your career in Spain when there are offers for you?’
“Damn, it doesn’t have to be a robotic answer where he says: ‘I have a coach. He chooses it there. I support’. So, you’re 28 years old… you must have an opinion. You may not want to share it with us, but you don’t have to be totally dismissive.”
