Jose Mourinho Names Player Tottenham 'Always' Needs Aside From Kane And Son

Tottenham Hotspur manager Jose Mourinho has raved about the importance of Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg in his team.

Harry Kane and Heung-min Son have done a tremendous job in the attacking department, bagging a combined 18 goals in Tottenham’s first 11 Premier League matches. However, Mourinho is also pleased with the significant improvement in the Spurs’ midfield, courtesy of summer signing Hojbjerg.

The Denmark international left Southampton for Tottenham earlier this year and immediately made an impact in Mourinho’s squad. It didn’t take long for Hojbjerg to gel with Kane and Son inside the pitch, convincing the renowned manager that he’s the type of player Tottenham would always need.

“I always thought that the team needs that profile of player,” Mourinho recently told Sky Sports News of Hojbjerg.

For Mourinho, Kane and Son’s goal-scoring has been superb, but he is well aware that his team also needs someone who has “a different type of talent” and can consistently intensify the midfield.

“We always knew that we needed a different type of talent because for me Pierre [Hojbjerg] is a talent,” he added. “We always need this kind of talent to give us more stability and more dynamism in midfield.”

At Southampton, Hojbjerg was already a notable midfielder and he picked up where he left off at Tottenham. Thus far, the 25-year-old has provided one assist in 11 Premier League matches and has made two starts and three substitute appearances in the Europa League for the Spurs this season, according to stats compiled by WhoScored.

Arsenal legend Gilberto Silva is also impressed with Hojbjerg’s debut season with Tottenham. Like Mourinho, the Brazilian thinks Hojbjerg is essential for the attacking prowess of Kane and Son.

Even more interesting, Silva likened the 2014 Danish Talent of the Year winner’s style of playing to Mourinho’s.

“Big guys at the back and in the midfield and they are very strong,” Silva said on the “Invisible Wall” podcast. “But then in attack, they are so fast with Harry Kane and [Heung-Min] Son.”

”They are a solid team at the back,” he added. “Hojbjerg is doing a great job, he is very useful for the team. Stopping the game, controlling it, plays it back, makes fouls – it is how Mourinho plays. He likes this type of game.”

Tottenham is set to face Crystal Palace Sunday at Selhurst Park Stadium. Hojbjerg is likely to be handed some significant minutes on the pitch as Mourinho previously confirmed that he will be doing player rotations for the next several games.