Frank, praised for his methodical detail, has likened managing in the Premier League to being a head chef in a high-end restaurant.
“The chef needs to be able to cook the food himself,” said Frank.
“He’s got 20 other chefs doing all these things for him so he’s leading all these many chefs through his vision, his recipes and they are maximising every little detail.
“But he knows how the perfect outcome should be.”
Teddy Hebo Larsen, chairman of Hvidovre, where Frank was a youth coach for six years, paid tribute to his “emotional intelligence”.
He said: “What differentiates Thomas from many other head coaches is that he invests heavily in leadership. He is very special in that aspect. What we would call….Scandinavian leadership is what he has brought to Brentford.
“It’s much more involved in engaging people, listening to people, empathy, authenticity is a key word. Thomas has plenty of that.
“He was extremely popular. One of his strengths was being a good supporter and developer for the young guys while still keeping a professional distance to them as a coach.
“Thomas is a project manager – he has a clear project with a clear goal and he just continuously follows that goal and tries to develop things around him.”
His profile has rocketed since he arrived in England in 2016, being appointed Brentford’s assistant head coach, external under Dean Smith.
Despite not playing professionally, he has ended up in the Premier League after starting his coaching journey with the under-eights of his hometown club Frederiksvaerk.
He progressed to become coach of Denmark at various youth levels until 2013, when he was offered a first-team coaching role at Danish Superliga giants Brondby.
Former striker Lee Rochester Sorensen, who was part of the Denmark Under-17 side, said: “He was always looking to improve and had a plan for every step of the way.
“Thomas always had a plan A, B and C, making it clear what was needed through the four phases of play, from our goalkeeper to our attackers – he’d tell us how to press our opponents and the reasons why.”
Ex-Brondby midfielder Martin Ornskov enjoyed Frank’s collaborative approach during their time together at the club.
“There were times when he’d discuss solutions with us during games,” he said. “Far from seeing it as a weakness, I saw that as a strength.
“I knew he’d be liked as a person and could evolve as a coach, but to work in the Premier League without having the experience or being a big name was a huge test.
“But the thing about Thomas was he was always so curious about football – he lived for the game. I saw a different coach at the end of my three years with him.”
After Frank Lampard left his role as Chelsea boss in 2023, Frank invited the former England midfielder to watch Brentford train.
“When you see someone like Thomas and how diligent he is and how well he speaks, you understand he has put thousands of hours into viewing, observing, working out his way, his approach to people,” Lampard, now boss at Coventry City, told the Football Daily podcast.
Chris Sutton was speaking to BBC Sport’s Chris Bevan.
