'Several enquiries' - What Kasper Hjulmand has said about his Denmark future amid Aston Villa links
Aston Villa are looking for a replacement for Dean Smith and the Denmark national coach is on their radar
Denmark manager Kasper Hjulmand is claimed to be on a four-strong shortlist to replace Dean Smith at Aston Villa.
Hjulmand is reported to be on the list alongside Rangers’ Steven Gerrard, Belgium boss Roberto Martinez and Southampton’s Ralph Hassenhutt l.
The 49-year-old is said to be of interest to his compatriot - and current Villa director of football, Johan Lange.
Hjulmand has become a well-regarded figure in European football after the Danes reached the semi-finals of Euro 2020, where they lost to England.
His team has continued that form into the World Cup qualifiers in which they have won all eight matches and scored 27 goals without conceding and look certainties to finish ahead of Scotland and reach Qatar 2022.
However, Villa’s interest is not new to Hjulmand who had plenty of options over the summer - but seems intent on continuing his journey with Denmark.
In an interview with Ekstrabladet last month, via Sport Witness, he laid out his vision for the future.
“I received several enquiries over the summer, but I have rejected them all. I haven’t spent two seconds considering the possibilities”.
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Asked why, he said: “No, not at all. These were super interesting enquiries, but I feel like I have just started as a national manager.
"There are a lot of things we are doing. Things that we need to develop and improve.
“I love the job. For me, it’s a big challenge to see how far we can go. How well we can get to play because we have a very exciting team with great potential.”
Hjulmand has previously managed Lyngby, Nordsjælland and Mainz.