NATHAN Tella’s “weapons can help you more than the weaknesses,” says Ralph Hasenhuttl, after the youngster started in Saints’ comfortable victory over Brentford.

The 22-year-old academy graduate signed a brand-new three-and-a-half year contract to keep him at St Mary’s until 2025 just last week.

Energetic forward Tella then marked his return from COVID with consecutive starts in the FA Cup victory over Swansea and the 4-1 rout of Thomas Frank’s Bees.

With all three right-backs sidelined for varying reasons, Tella was instead tasked to play as a right-wing-back as Hasenhuttl experimented with a trio of central defenders once again to cover the shortcomings.

Daily Echo: Saints youngster Nathan Tella is a popular figure at the club (Pic: Stuart Martin)Saints youngster Nathan Tella is a popular figure at the club (Pic: Stuart Martin)

The ex-Arsenal man is a player who Hasenhuttl described earlier in the season as: “Like a young horse who wants to run, he wants to run at defenders and he wants to get behind the last line.”

So it was an interesting development to see Tella entrusted with a role that requires a little bit more discipline – and he did so to a top standard before being replaced by Stuart Armstrong with 20 to play.

“Yeah but Tuesday, I think we were sending him immediately to the highest line,” Hasenhuttl explained to the Daily Echo.

“This is where he has his biggest threat because he is super quick. I loved him playing on this side, to be honest.”

The Austrian continued: “Yes, sometimes he is a bit hectic on the ball, but he has other weapons and when you put the weapons in the right spot they can help you more than the weaknesses he has in some other moments.

Daily Echo: Nathan Tella has started both matches in 2022 (Pic: PA)Nathan Tella has started both matches in 2022 (Pic: PA)

“So it is always finding the balance of putting him in the right place and right position.”

Both Tella and French left-back Romain Perraud were pressing right up to the halfway line in their starting positions from Fraser Forster's kicks, and were as frequently advanced as forwards Armando Broja and Nathan Redmond to stretch the Bees backline.

Tella’s start versus Brentford was his fifth in the last seven Premier League matches, potentially displaying that he has battled his way into Hasenhuttl’s premium XI.

He had only made one start in the previous 13 league clashes.