RALPH Hasenhuttl admitted deadline day arrival Ainsley Maitland-Niles is “closer to what we expect” after an additional two weeks of working with the group.
The 25-year-old Arsenal loanee was left out of the matchday squad for the visit to Aston Villa last time out in the Premier League.
In doing so, Hasenhuttl sacrificed his defensive midfield option and had to use Joe Aribo as a defensive midfielder when replacing Ibrahima Diallo.
After the 1-0 defeat, Hasenhuttl cited “plenty of work to do” with Maitland-Niles before he was ready for the ball-oriented game the coaches want to employ.
- Read more - Hasenhuttl rejects suggestion he is under pressure to keep his Saints job
Maitland-Niles has had two weeks during the international break as one of 10 players remaining, and the Austrian admits he is now an alternative option.
“We have enough options and we also have shown in the past that the double six is something we can still play in the 4-2-3-1,” Hasenhuttl explained, of his midfield ranks.
“We have Ibra, Prowsey and Ainsley who is now closer to what we expect from him, he has learned it. It’s definitely something that is an alternative for us.”
He added: “We had 10 players left here this break and we had times where we had only four or five players which harder.
“This time it was a little easier and we had academy players with us so we could play 11v11. This is the same for every team, but we tried to push them hard with a big workload in the last two weeks so we are ready for this.”
A message from the Editor
Thank you for reading this article - we appreciate your support in reading the Daily Echo.
Subscribing to the Echo means you have unrestricted access to the latest news, features and Saints coverage - all with an advertising-light website.
You will also have full access to Saintsplus, your new home for Southampton FC tactical analysis, features and much, much more.
Don't just take my word for it - subscribe today.
Follow the latest breaking news in the Southampton area by searching Southampton News - Breaking News and Incidents on Facebook
Follow the latest court and crime news on our dedicated group by searching Hampshire Court and Crime News on Facebook
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel