Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglou has admitted there is one player who is impressing him a lot in training.
Injuries have riddled Spurs all season, but there has been a consistent core of players who Ange Postecoglou has looked to all season.
And this has meant there have been some individuals who have seen their game time decrease considerably since the Australian’s appointment.
However, it is one of the outcasted players who Postecoglou has said is impressing him in training at Hotspur Way.
What Ange Postecoglou said about Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg is one of those players who has seen a dramatic reduction to his time on the pitch.
The Denmark international has now been at Spurs for a number of years and quickly established himself as one of the first names on the team sheet.
However, he has only made six starts in the Premier League this season which have accumulated to 1000 minutes of football.
This has naturally seen the 28-year-old’s future thrown up in the air with the midfielder having already made a statement by changing agents ahead of the summer.
It is believed there is interest coming from Serie A which may be why Hojbjerg has chosen an Italian agency to sign up to.
However, speaking ahead of the game against West Ham, Postecoglou has praised the midfielder for his character and performance levels in training.
He said: “No, he’s doing all he can. He mentioned he is training well and he’s not happy he hasn’t played enough. I understand that. There are probably other players in there who are equally as unhappy that they haven’t been playing. That’s OK. I understand that, they’re human beings.
“What I look at is how are they training, what their attitude is like and when presented with their opportunity are they ready to contribute? Pierre certainly has been, but there are others in that boat as well.”
What Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg has recently admitted
It has undoubtedly been a seriously underwhelming season for the 28-year-old as he heads into the Euros with Denmark this summer.
For a player who has established himself so firmly in the starting XI at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, this season will have been a huge reality check for Hojbjerg.
He is going into the summer with just one year remaining on his contract with Tottenham which has many expecting him to leave.
Journalist Alasdair Gold has said as much and also claimed his contract situation could be why Postecoglou may now be unwilling to start Hojbjerg.
He said: “If you’re Ange Postecoglou do you start Hojbjerg against Luton? Would you bring him into it? It’s difficult because Hojbjerg isn’t the future of Tottenham Hotspur. We know he’s going to go in the summer. He’s got one year left on his deal and all signs are pointing towards the exit.”
And this certainly rings true, Postecoglou has the likes of Yves Bissouma, Pape Matar Sarr and Rodrigo Bentancur to select from, why would he revert to a player who likely won’t be there next season?
During his recent spell away with the Danish national side, Hojbjerg did not hold back from sharing his disappointment over his season at Spurs.
He said:
“Of course, I’m not happy with what’s going on at the club. It’s not a secret, but it’s not something I make a fuss about either.
“I can put my head on the pillow knowing that I’m giving it my all to show the coach that he should believe in me. This is not the case at the moment, and it’s the coach who has to explain why.”
What is perhaps slightly ironic is that this Spurs midfield looks like it could do with a freshen up on the back of recent displays, but it feels unlikely Hojbjerg would be given the nod.