BBC pundit and former Tottenham Hotspur player Danny Murphy has piled high praise onto midfielder Pierre-Emile Højbjerg for his display against Wolves.
Ryan Mason’s men won the game 2-0 in what was a crucial fixture as they continued their fight to qualify for some form of European football for next season with the Dane assisting Harry Kane’s first and then netting one himself to secure all three points (via Transfermarkt).
And it was his ability in the attacking areas of the pitch that left Murphy so impressed. Usually, the midfielder operates more defensively, best exemplified by him being second on the team in both tackles and interceptions per game, whilst also leading it in fouls.
Murphy laid out his points on Match of the Day 2 (41:29), where he observed the qualities that Højbjerg brought to the table at the attacking end of the pitch:
“I thought he was terrific today. I was saying to Micah [Richards] before the game that I don’t think he does enough creatively for me. He’s been pigeon-holed a little bit into this ‘destroyer’ and a holding role where he gets around and he gets after people, [he] sets the tone.
“But today he showed some moments of class and creativity that he’s obviously capable of. So now maybe given a more free role in this setup the way Tottenham are playing, we might see more of this from him, these positive passes forwards.”
Has Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg been a success?
Yes
No
TIF Thoughts on Danny Murphy’s comments…
It certainly won’t harm Højbjerg’s chances moving forward if he can play multiple roles, especially because at this stage we don’t know who Tottenham’s manager is going to be next season and what sort of philosophy they might play.
But if the Dane can play multiple roles, and can offer that flexibility depending on what sort of style is played, or if the team needs to tweak something depending on their opponents on any given day, then he could end up being a really important player for them moving forward.
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