“Maybe we could borrow him!” – Denmark coach jokes about signing Premier League superstar on loan ahead of FIFA World Cup game against France
Denmark coach Kasper Hijulmand recently joked that he would love to have Erling Haaland on loan for their 2022 FIFA World Cup clash against France.
Haaland's nation Norway failed to qualify for the tournament in Qatar. Hence, Hijulmand joked that the Manchester City striker would have been a good addition to his team.
This will be the 4th meeting between France and Denmark at the FIFA World Cup, all in the group stage of the competition. France have gone on to win the tournament on two of the previous occasions they’ve faced Denmark (1998 and 2018). (Opta)
Speaking to the media ahead of the crucial FIFA World Cup clash against France today (November 26), Hijulmand said (via Mirror):
“Erling has not gone to the World Cup with Norway so maybe we could borrow him! No, no, no. I’m joking, of course. He’s a wonderful player, it’s been wonderful to see this player, to see how he’s grown, how amazing to see hoew he’s developed into the striker he’s become."
He added:
"A lot of credit to Erling for his hard work because I know there’s a lot of hard work behind it and it’s incredible to see the amazing player he’s become. He’s a top player who I really respect. Christian is the heart of our team. He understands the game, he understands short and long passes, the intensity of the match and is always available to receive the ball."
Hijulmand further complimented Haaland but stressed that Denmark can beat France without him if they play well. He said:
“I would like to clone him. I would like him early in the game but also in the box because he has a wonderful shot and off the pitch he is a wonderful guy, very relaxed and social guy. A wonderful player and a wonderful person."
He added:
“But if we play at our best then stand a chance to get a good result against France. But to do that we will have to take a big step forward forward in quality.”
Haaland joined Manchester City from Borussia Dortmund in the summer and has already scored an incredible 23 goals in 18 matches across competitions.
Denmark coach spoke about Kylian Mbappe ahead of the FIFA World Cup clash against France
Kylian Mbappe was on the scoresheet for France as Didier Deschamps' team beat Australia 4-1 in their 2022 FIFA World Cup opener on November 22. Denmark coach Hijulmand was quizzed on whether his team is concerned about the Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) forward.
He replied:
“I don’t think it’s good to be frightened of anything. We have no plans to stop him, Of course we do. When we played him in Copenhagen we had a structure in place, but he still had great chances to score. Whatever you do, you can’t keep a top player like that down."
is likely to secure a place in the knockout stages of the 2022 World Cup when they resume Group D duties against Denmark 
at Stadium 974 on Saturday evening. 
France 🇫🇷 is likely to secure a place in the knockout stages of the 2022 World Cup when they resume Group D duties against Denmark 🇩🇰 at Stadium 974 on Saturday evening.
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