Rasmus Hojlund has been told to take another break in front of goal after ending his 21-game drought last weekend - by some of his Manchester United teammates.
Hojlund scored against Leicester City on Sunday to score for the first time in three months but for some of his club colleagues his return to form could have been badly timed.
The 22-year-old has now linked up with his Denmark teammates ahead of the two-legged Nations League quarter-final against Portugal this week, with Diogo Dalot and Bruno Fernandes set to be on the opposite side in Copenhagen on Thursday and Lisbon on Sunday.
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Hojlund has seven goals in 22 caps for Denmark, but after a difficult spell at club level he has been showing signs of a return to form recently and took his goal against the Foxes superbly.
Dalot was delighted to see his teammate score for the first time since December 12 but as the "banter" ahead of the Nations League showdown stepped up at United, he is now hoping he will take a week off.
“Ever since the draw was made, there has been the usual conversation, the classic friendly banter," Dalot said.
"Just this week, we joked about the fact that Hojlund scored a goal, something he hadn’t done for a while. We told him: ‘Now you take a one-week break and then start scoring again.’
"It’s a healthy competitiveness, but once we step onto the pitch, we stop being teammates. That’s part of football.”
Dalot also praised the ongoing contribution of Cristiano Ronaldo, with the 40-year-old set to win his 218th cap in the first leg on Thursday.
"It’s hard to find new adjectives to describe Cristiano," added Dalot. "For me, and I believe for my teammates as well, it’s a privilege and an honour to have him here in the national team, to be able to share moments with him. To absorb some of his experience, the extraordinary career he has built.
"There’s always that feeling of wanting to see him win major competitions with Portugal. The passion and love he has shown for our country cannot be questioned, and we take him as an example. It would be a beautiful story for Portuguese football to see him win as much as possible with our national team. And I believe that all of us want to be by his side in those moments.”
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