SAINTS defender Jannik Vestergaard says he had to put his ego away in order to regain a starting place in the Denmark national team.

Vestergaard and his Saints teammate Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg were recalled to their country’s starting XI for tonight’s 1-0 friendly win against Austria.

Summer signing Vestergaard had not featured for the Danes since their 3-1 victory over Kazakhstan in June 2017.

He was called up to the World Cup squad for summer tournament in Russia but failed to get any minutes under his belt.

Vestergaard had been a mainstay of Saints’ defence since his arrival from German side Borussia Monchengladbach on a four-year deal until he was dropped by Mark Hughes for the Chelsea game.

However, before starting Denmark’s 1-0 win against Austria, the 26 year-old admitted that his year-long exile had been difficult to take.

Vestergaard said: “Of course, I was disappointed that I did not get playing time at the World Cup.

“It’s therefore a challenge to maintain motivation along the way.

“Naturally, I have personal goals and ambitions with my career. And sometimes you may see yourself a bit better than reality reflects.

“I took part in fulfilling a role [at the World Cup], and it is about overriding ego and my own needs.

“It is about tackling the challenge based on the principle that the team always comes first.”