[ad_1]
The Danish midfielder sported some notable hats after a head clash early in the match.
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg was jokingly referred to as Zinedine Zidane by José Mourinho during his 3-0 win over LASK in the Europa League on Thursday night.
The 25-year-old required stitches after a 21-minute head collision and returned to the field sporting a heavily bandaged head.
Despite the heavy blow, Hojbjerg kept playing until the 62nd minute as he showed his willingness to play despite the pain at his new club after a summer transfer from Southampton.
Mourinho admired the spirit of his international for Denmark and couldn’t help but make a joke about his striking hat.
“We were laughing at halftime and we all called him Zidane. Very cute, but don’t do it again, Pierre!” Mourinho said at his post-match press conference.
“He is a very good player, a good leader and a captain without an armband.”
Another player who caught the Spurs’ attention against LASK was rookie Carlos Vinicius, who claimed two assists and created a maximum of five matching chances.
The 25-year-old scored 18 league goals for Benfica last season and Mourinho was happy to see his new player begin his adaptation to a new setup with such force.
“He played well but he can do better. It is not easy not to speak English so adapting to the group is not an easy situation,” Mourinho said of the young Brazilian.
“Different football, different way of playing, how we want to push. It’s about learning. But under these circumstances, the first game did well.
“The only thing missing was a goal. He showed that he is more than that and that he can also play with Harry Kane.”
Gareth Bale also made his first start for Tottenham since sealing a loan from Real Madrid and conceded after the game that he is still picking up his speed after fighting for playing time in Spain.
Spurs will face Burnley in the Premier League on Monday and are now 10 games without losing. Tottenham’s strong start to the season has also seen them score 31 goals in all competitions so far, five more than any other Premier League team.
