Tottenham Hotspur’s Pierre-Emile Højbjerg has been a regular for Denmark since 2018 and is now a vital player for his country in the middle of the pitch.
The midfielder didn’t feature for Denmark for two years between 2016 and 2018, when Åge Hareide took over the managerial role in 2016. The Norwegian changed his decision and recalled the Spurs star in June 2018.
Tuesday’s edition of Ekstra Bladet states part of the reason for Hareide’s decision to drop Højbjerg is because the then manager felt the player was selfish in Denmark’s 1-0 defeat to Montenegro during the World Cup qualifiers in November 2016.
Kasper Hjulmand replaced Hareide and the 26-year-old has since been a regular for Denmark.
Ekstra Bladet have published an interview with the former Southampton man and Hjulmand, and the manager shared his thoughts on how Højbjerg has developed his game.
“Pierre plays with big heart and immense passion. I think he has also developed his personality very significantly,” Hjulmand said.
“I am particularly pleased to see how much Pierre is concerned that we must constantly improve in all possible areas.”
