Former Manchester United and England defender Rio Ferdinand has heaped praise on the shoulders of Tottenham Hotspur head coach Jose Mourinho for signing midfielder Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg.
After being heavily linked with a move to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium from Southampton for much of the 2019/20 campaign, Spurs, who will resume their Europa League campaign at home to Bulgarian outfit Ludogorets on Thursday evening, secured Hojbjerg's signature in August after striking a deal with the Saints.
Since making the switch to north London, the Denmark international has played an instrumental role in Spurs' excellent start to the season, racking up 15 appearances in all competitions already, as he has nailed down his place in the team with ease.
In total, Spurs, who took up residence at the top of the Premier League table on Saturday evening with a 2-0 win over Manchester City at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium thanks to goals either side of half-time from Son Heung-min and Giovani Lo Celso, drafted in seven new signings over the summer, including the return of Gareth Bale.
But it is Hojbjerg, who had been on Mourinho's radar for several months, that has impressed Ferdinand most.
“Hojbjerg. An absolute massive signing for Jose," Ferdinand said on Rio Ferdinand Presents Five.
"You have to give him huge, huge, huge credit identifying him – he is going to come here and he is going to be the breaker, the person that sits in there, does all the nasty work, the hard jobs, stops the other teams from playing, pass it to the people like the Kanes and the Sons to go and do their bits of magic.”
Ferdinand's assessment of Hojbjerg's recent performances is spot on.
The Danish midfield enforcer has been vital to Spurs' recent run of good form, with his ability to break up play and win possession back for his team rarely going unnoticed.
While the likes of Bale and Carlos Vinicius were signed to add skill, glitz and glamour to the team, Hojbjerg was drafted in to do the dirty side of the game, but it is a role he does with such skill and ability.
Ferdinand, though, is not the only person to have sent praise in Hojbjerg's direction since joining Spurs.
Following the 2-1 win over Brighton & Hove Albion earlier this month, Spurs goalkeeper Hugo Lloris paid credit to his team-mate's start to life in north London.
Lloris said: “Pierre has been doing an amazing job right from the beginning.
“He has had a big impact because of his personality, and he shows his ability and quality every day on the field.
“He is committed and ready to help the team. He is pushing us. We are all going in the same way and we try to get the best out of each other.”
