BOSS Ralph Hasenhuttl heaped praise on Saints’ summer signing Lyanco and added: “This is exactly the kind of player we want in our team.”

The Brazilian centre-back impressed having come on as a second-half substitute, replacing Stuart Armstrong after 56 minutes of Friday’s 1-0 victory over Aston Villa.

“This guy is a fantastic character,” said Hasenhuttl, when speaking to the Daily Echo about the former Torino man.

“You see how he was celebrating his first Premier League game and now again he is happy, you know how much it means to him to play for us.

“This is exactly the kind of player we want in our team.”

Lyanco is yet to concede a goal in two Premier League appearances, having come off the bench in wins against Watford and Villa.

Speaking about the defence as a whole, Hasenhuttl added: “I’m happy for them that they get a clean sheet, the sixth of the season.

“Defensively we have more alternatives for this position and this makes us definitely stronger and we are more solid, more organised.

“This is nice for us for sure.”