Jordy Clasie can be the new Morgan Schneiderlin – but give him time.

That was the message from Saints boss Ronald Koeman ahead of a possible Premier League debut for the Dutch midfielder against Leicester City tomorrow.

Koeman admits Clasie is “not ready for 90 minutes”.

But the £8m buy will be in the squad after recovering from the injuries that have prevented him making his Premier League debut.

Koeman, who managed Clasie at Feyenoord, said: “Jordy has some qualities compared to Schneiderlin, in our ball possession, and also knows when to press, because he's very fast in short spaces.

“He brings a cleverness in his passing and pressing that we need. His first pass is always forwards, it's never back: he's trying to pass forwards and between the lines, good movements of the players.

“We need that and can do that better in our football.”

At 5ft 5in, Clasie lacks the physicality of most Premier League midfielders and Koeman readily admits “he needs game time”.

The 24 year-old suffered a hamstring injury on debut in the Europa League win against Vitesse Arnhem at the end of July.

And an ankle injury sustained in his comeback match, an Under-21s match, meant he has spent most of his time at Saints in the treatment room.

Koeman added: “He knows that he has to bring his level, and that it's a tough competition. It’s important for him to be 100 per cent in the physical stakes.

“It's not a Dutch league, and we have to bring more because he's not the most physical player.

“That means that other qualities you have to improve, on this level, on this intensity of the game.

“But he needs time for that after his injury.”