Sporting Lisbon midfielder Morten Hjulmand is drawing significant praise for his leadership and technical abilities, with a former World Cup-winning teammate highlighting his unexpected maturity.
Samuel Umtiti, a French international and 2018 World Cup winner, shared a locker room with Hjulmand at Italian club Lecce. Umtiti noted Hjulmand’s innate leadership qualities, observing him serve as captain for a newly promoted team.
“When I arrived at Lecce, the club had just been promoted to Serie A. He was the captain and I felt he had the soul of a leader, despite not being the oldest or most experienced in the squad,” Umtiti told French newspaper L’Équipe.
Umtiti recalled a specific instance where Hjulmand approached him personally. Hjulmand checked on Umtiti, who was newly signed and not yet physically ready to play.
“There was one night he came to my room to talk to me, to know how I felt,” Umtiti stated. “He told me the team counted on me. He spoke to me like a captain should, despite my status. I really liked that approach.”
Beyond leadership, Umtiti also praised Hjulmand’s technical skill. “Technically he was a level above,” Umtiti said, despite Lecce’s defensive playing style at the time.
“He’s good at dictating the pace of the game, recovering balls, and has a good shot. We might not talk much about him, but he’s indispensable to the team.”
Former Lecce coach Marco Baroni echoed these sentiments. Baroni described Hjulmand as a modern midfielder with excellent physical and technical attributes.
“He has the potential to become a top player,” Baroni told L’Équipe, adding that he was proud to have contributed to Hjulmand’s development. “Besides being a very good player, he is also a very good person.”
Hjulmand is currently captaining Sporting Lisbon. His profile is under increased scrutiny in French media ahead of a match against Marseille. Hjulmand has also been compared to fellow Danish international Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, a midfielder for Marseille.