Jamie Redknapp has told Sky Sports that he feared that Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Pierre Emile Hojbjerg was out of his depth at first.
Hojbjerg made a poor debut for Tottenham when he started against Everton, and looked lethargic in a 1-0 defeat.
However, since that day, Hojbjerg has developed into one of Tottenham’s most integral players.
The defensive midfielder has quickly become one of the first names of Jose Mourinho’s side’s team sheet and his performance against Arsenal at the weekend was stunning.
Hojbjerg continuously snuffed out attacks as Tottenham kept a clean-sheet in a 2-0 win over Arsenal.
And Redknapp admits that Hojbjerg has completely changed his opinion.
“He’s doing some job for the team,” Redknapp said. “I was at his first game against Everton and I thought he might be a bit out of his depth here, but he’s really done well.
“He’s like a player coach for Jose. You can see the relationship the two of them have. He does the dirty work, goes and wins second balls all the time and he looks so comfortable in this Tottenham shirt.”
Gary Neville was also impressed by the Tottenham midfielder’s display.
He added: “I was here [for that game against Everton] and I thought it didn’t look right, but he’s found the balance with him and SIssoko in midifeld.
“Both of them have been outstanding in these last two or three weeks.”
Hojbjerg may actually be rested for Tottenham’s next game, which comes on Thursday evening.
The Dane has played 90 minutes in Tottenham’s last two games, which means Mourinho may be keen to keep him fresh in midweek.
Hojbjerg will almost certainly start in Spurs’s next Premier League match though, which comes against Crystal Palace at the weekend.
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