The Denmark Euro 2020 squad has been revealed, and includes a number of familiar faces for English football fans.
Leicester's Kasper Schmeichel makes the team, as does Southampton's Jannik Vestergaard and Chelsea's Andreas Christensen in defence, Tottenham's Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, plus Brentford pair Christian Norgaard and Mathias Jensen in midfield and former Tottenham playmaker Christian Eriksen.
Denmark Euro 2020 squad
- GK: Kasper Schmeichel (Leicester City)
- GK: Jonas Lossl (Midtjylland)
- GK: Frederik Ronnow (Schalke)
- DF: Jannik Vestergaard (Southampton)
- DF: Simon Kjær (AC Milan)
- DF: Daniel Wass (Valencia)
- DF: Joakim Mæhle (Atalanta)
- DF: Andreas Christensen (Chelsea)
- DF: Nicolai Boilesen (Copenhagen)
- DF: Joachim Andersen (Fulham)
- DF: Jens Stryger Larsen (Udinese)
- DF: Mathias Jørgensen (Copenhagen)
- MF: Thomas Delaney (Borussia Dortmund)
- MF: Christian Eriksen (Internazionale)
- MF: Mathias Jensen (Brentford)
- MF: Anders Christiansen (Malmö)
- MF: Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg (Tottenham Hotspur)
- MF: Mikkel Damsgaard (Sampdoria)
- MF: Christian Norgaard (Brentford)
- MF: Robert Skov (Hoffenheim)
- FW: Martin Braithwaite (Barcelona)
- FW: Jonas Wind (Copenhagen)
- FW: Andreas Cornelius (Parma)
- FW: Yussuf Poulsen (RB Leipzig)
- FW: Andreas Skov Olsen (Bologna)
- FW: Kasper Dolberg (Nice)
Denmark Euro 2020 squad: Team profile
Twenty-nine years after lifting the trophy in Sweden as the most sensational of European champions, Denmark will be looking at the past to ignite their future. When the Danish Dynamite won Euro 92 – at 10 days’ notice after Yugoslavia’s exclusion as the Balkans disintegrated under a dust cloud of revolution and war – red and white flags conquered in their Scandinavian neighbours’ back yard.
A repeat of 1992 seems unlikely – even with Copenhagen set to host the team’s three group stage games against Finland, Belgium and Russia – but with a hugely talented side dotted with Premier League, Serie A and La Liga experience, the Danes are not to be underestimated. The spine is strong – goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel is a fine last resort behind centre-back pair Simon Kjaer and Andreas Christensen, while a midfield of Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Christian Eriksen load the bullets for Barcelona’s Martin Braithwaite in attack.
Expectations are high. So high, in fact, that former boss Aage Hareide’s contract – due to expire after a Euro 2020 that never happened – wasn’t renewed, despite the Norwegian tactician going 24 games without defeat. That is if you decide a World Cup exit to Croatia on penalties doesn’t count as a loss, nor the 3-0 defeat to Slovakia in September 2018 after the entire squad was replaced by futsal players over a contract dispute.
The Danish FA has chosen a more offensive approach under head coach Kasper Hjulmand, whose stylistic flourishes since taking over last July have been as promising as the continued results. October’s 1-0 Nations League victory against England at Wembley was one of five straight wins sandwiched between defeats to top-ranked Belgium, before they struck 14 goals in their first three World Cup qualifiers in March.
Though there was some unrest within the squad regarding the circumstances surrounding the likeable Hareide’s exit, the players have now moved on and developed impressively under Hjulmand.
With a mix of those experienced star players and talented, technical youngsters, such as Copenhagen centre-forward Jonas Wind and 23-year-old Atalanta
full-back Joakim Maehle, there’s every chance of the Danes springing a surprise to compete with 1992, even if matching it may be asking a bit much. They look strong, resilient and fun.
Denmark Euro 2020 squad: Who is Denmark's manager?
Kasper Hjulmand currently manages Denmark, after they appointed him in 2020. Supposed to take over last year following Euro 2020, the competition's delay means he is now in charge.
The 49-year-old has managed Nordsjælland twice, with a spell at Mainz in between. While in charge of the Danish outfit, he won them their only ever Danish Superliga title, in 2011-12.
Denmark Euro 2020 squad: Who is Denmark's best player?
When discussing Denmark's best players it's impossible to look past talisman Christian Eriksen. Though the midfielder has struggled for form since he swapped Tottenham for Inter Milan, Eriksen still exudes class whenever he's on the ball. Without him, Denmark can't expect to produce an awful lot at Euro 2020. With him, they have every opportunity to progress within the tournament.
Backing the Serie A man up is Tottenham's Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Dortmund's Thomas Delaney, Barcelona's Martin Braithwaite, RB Leipzig's Yussuf Poulsen and Leicester City's Kasper Schmeichel in what is a strong Denmark team.
Denmark Euro 2020 squad: What's Denmark's past Euros record?
Denmark had to wait 20 years between their first and second appearances in the Euros, from 1964 to 1984. After finishing fourth out of four teams in their inaugural campaign, Denmark reached the semi-finals in 1984.
A group stage exit followed in 1988, before a tremendous campaign in 1992 ended in them winning the Euros in Sweden, beating the unified Germany 2-0 in the final.
Understandably, they haven't enjoyed the same success since. Group stage exits in 1996, 2000 and 2012 are broken up with tournaments they didn't even qualify for, in 2008 and 2016. However, they managed to reach the quarter-finals in 2004, a realistic aim for this campaign.
