Jannik Vestergaard hasn’t played for Denmark since June 2017, in a match against Kazakhstan.
The Southampton defender went to the World Cup with his country, but failed to get even a minute on the pitch in Russia. He’s been hampered by others showing they’re better in the role, and also manager Åge Hareide changing from a system with three central defender to one with two.
Hareide managed to turn around Denmark’s poor World Cup qualification campaign and, against all odds at the time, get them a place at the tournament, so his choices aren’t so widely questioned.
Now Vestergaard will get a chance to play for Denmark against Austria and he’s taken part in a press conference this week to talk about his situation and frustrations at not being involved over the past year or so.
Danish newspaper Ekstra Bladet quote the Southampton player as saying: “It’s therefore a challenge to maintain motivation along the way. Naturally, I have personal goals and ambitions with my career. And sometimes you may see yourself a bit better than reality reflects.
“Of course, I was disappointed that I did not get playing time at the World Cup. I took part in fulfilling a role, and it is about overriding ego and my own needs. It is about tackling the challenge based on the principle that the team always comes first.”
Vestergaard started the season as a starter for Mark Hughes’ side and that’s continued up until the Chelsea match, went he spent the game on the bench.
The 26 year old will be looking for a performance against Austria which impresses both Hareide and Hughes.
