LONDON: Tottenham Hotspur manager Jose Mourinho heaped praises on midfielder Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and termed him as a phenomenal player after the side's 2-0 win over Arsenal on Sunday.
Hojbjerg played a key role in the north London derby clash as Son Heung-min and Harry Kane scored on home turf to remain top of the Premier League.
The midfielder had more touches (61), passes (44), successful passes (35), passes in the opposition half (15) and interceptions (three) than any other Spurs player.
"Pierre is, first of all, very intelligent. He reads the game very well. He's going to be a coach one day, for sure. He's a pain, asking questions about why we do this and why we do that. On the pitch, he reads the situation very, very well and the people that surround him are really compact, they read the game," Goal.com quoted Mourinho as saying.
"Physically he's very, very strong and technically he's much better than people think. Because sometimes people think the guy that is good technically is the guy that does the backheel. The guy that is good technically is the guy that does something wonderful. But these are not my words. These are words from coaches of 30, 40 years ago. Simplicity is genius," he added.
Of midfielders, only Manchester City's Rodri has made more successful passes than Hojbjerg in the Premier League this season, with 746 against 706.