Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg has become the first Tottenham Hotspur player to comment on the Antonio Conte's scathing rant from the weekend.
What has Hojbjerg said?
The Danish midfielder played the full 90 minutes on Saturday as Spurs fell apart in the final 15 minutes of their game on the south coast against Southampton.
The Lilywhites looked set to climb up the table to go up into third spot ahead of Manchester United, who were playing in the FA Cup.
However, the north London side somehow allowed their 3-1 lead to slip against the side bottom of the Premier League table and were forced to settle for a point.
And after Conte's furious post-game press conference, Hojbjerg has responded by claiming he will always give his all when playing for the club.
He said (via Daily Express): "I understand that if you want to be successful as a team, you need 11 men who are committed to a project and a culture. But I think he has to elaborate on how he feels before you as a player can start measuring and weighing.
"The coach has not been satisfied, and that is what I will take with me. You do what you can to please him. What I do know about myself is that I am an honest player. I am a player who always gives 100 per cent of myself for the team."
Should Spurs find an upgrade for Hojbjerg?
Spurs have now had Hojbjerg playing in the middle of the park for three seasons now having brought him in from Southampton back in 2020.
And he has maintained a regular spot in the starting XI over the numerous managers he has seen come and go having racked up 137 appearances across all competitions (via Transfermarkt).
In that time – from his defensive role – he has returned 10 goals and 14 assists with five of those goals and five of those assists coming in this season's Premier League and Champions League.
However, across other midfielders in the top five leagues, he has provided a return which ranks in the bottom 22nd percentile for tackles made (via FBref).
In the game against the Saints, he registered a slightly above-average return of two goals but he has also dribbled past on two occasions (via Sofascore).
He did only win two of his five attempted ground duels and gave away possession 10 times throughout the game.
In comparison to one of the Premier League's top defensive options in the shape of Casemiro, Hojbjerg not only lacks in his defensive returns but also has provided slightly fewer shot-creating actions (via FBref).
With Rodrigo Bentancur recovering from a long-term injury and a new manager potentially coming in over the next few months, perhaps this is an area which Spurs look to upgrade over the summer.