Jose Mourinho can finally finish Daniel Levy’s long-drawn quest to clinch silverware with Tottenham Hotspur thanks to Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg’s instant success in north London.

The midfielder joined Spurs in a £15million deal from Southampton this summer, after Mourinho identified Hojbjerg as a player he believed was capable of bringing leadership to a side he accused of lacking grit.

Everton were also keen on the Danish international but Hojbjerg rebuffed the Goodison Park natives and made it clear he wished to leave the south coast for the capital, where he has since failed to feature in just one of 16 fixtures across all competitions.

Former Manchester United and England defender Rio Ferdinand firmly believes Hojbjerg was Spurs’ best piece of business in the summer market, having heaped praise on Mourinho for signing a true game-changer for Tottenham.

“Hojbjerg – an absolutely massive signing for Jose," Ferdinand said on Rio Ferdinand Presents Five.

"You have to give him huge, huge, huge credit identifying him – he is going to come here, and he is going to be the breaker, the person that sits in there, does all the nasty work, the hard jobs, stops the other teams from playing, pass it to the people like the Kanes and the Sons to go and do their bits of magic.”

It is hard to argue with Ferdinand’s assessment, as Hojbjerg has proven to be a true game-changer in north London by instilling the leadership and grit that Mourinho sought so much.

The Special One even noted last month how Hojbjerg acts like a captain without the armband, after soldiering on after requiring stitches following a head clash in Tottenham’s 3-0 win over LASK in the Europa League.

Even after the 21st-minute blow, the 25-year-old pulled off an audacious piece of skill that left Mourinho considering Hojbjerg and France icon Zinedine Zidane in the same breath.

“We were having a laugh at half-time and we were all calling him Zidane. Very nice but don't do it again Pierre!” Mourinho said, via quotes by Goal.

“He's a very good player, a good leader and a captain without the armband.”

Hojbjerg’s commitment to doing the dirty work in the centre of the pitch to help his side in whatever way needed has helped to his instant success, and can prove to be a deciding factor in Mourinho living up to his word, having declared earlier in the year that he will win trophies at Tottenham against claims his best days are in the past.

It is also why the €40m-rated (£36m) powerhouse has started all nine of Spurs’ top-flight fixtures and ranks third for successful tackles (29), sixth for clearances (18), 12th for ground duels won (40) and 14th for aerial duels won (12) by all Premier League midfielders this term, per SofaScore, as Mourinho’s men sit top of the table with the division’s best defensive record.

AND in other news, an £80k-p/w Spurs man’s struggles may have re-opened the door for a “perfect” outcast to return.