Pierre Emile Hojbjerg makes Pep Guardiola admission amid Champions League hopes at Tottenham

Pierre Emile Hojbjerg has become a key player in Antonio Conte's regular starting line-up. At the start of the season the Dane was creating a solid partnership alongside Oliver Skipp but with the 21-year-old's injury and the arrival of Rodrigo Bentancur, Hojbjerg is now starting games in the middle with the Uruguayan.

The 26-year-old has made 44 appearances this season, scoring three goals and registering four assists, starting 32 out of the 33 Premier League games he has been involved in. Hojbjerg has been making an impact at both ends of the field, producing 109 accurate long balls, having 28 shots and producing 72 tackles in his league features.

The Dane has experienced some mixed performances this season, with spells of sloppy play, but he has improved under Antonio Conte and become a key member of the squad in recent matches. After Tottenham's 5-1 victory over Newcastle, the Spurs boss gave Hojbjerg some unprompted praise when asked about Harry Kane in his post match press conference.

What Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg did as Son Heung-Min scored screamer for Tottenham vs Leicester

"Also Pierre, no one asked me about him, but I think in every game he is doing a fantastic job, with the ball, without the ball, strong physically. Every player is improving their level and for this reason Tottenham is going up and up," Conte admitted.

In February, the Italian also commended the Danish international for his value to the Spurs team. "Pierre is another important player for us, he's young but he's more experienced that others and he's a good player," the 52-year-old said.

Hojbjerg's game time for club and country, as well as his age, has helped him build valuable experience and he has become a vocal leader figure on the pitch.