INJURY to Kyle Walker-Peters has left Romain Perraud as the solitary Premier League-ready full-back at Ralph Hasenhuttl’s disposal – and he is learning more about the Frenchman.
Perraud himself was recovering from a long-term fracture concern and can rarely finish 90 minutes but has now started five consecutive matches for the first time since the May layoff.
His contributions helped keep the manager in a job; scoring his first Premier League goal in the 1-1 draw with West Ham and assisting Che Adams for the winner at AFC Bournemouth in the next match.
Hasenhuttl had called for Perraud to improve his attacking output, when asked by the Daily Echo what exactly the former Stade Brest man has and can still work on most.
Read more: Hasenhuttl reportedly wanted to sign promising England defender last summer
“His crosses, his final pass, his calmness with the ball to find the six and his passes in the red zone – everything what is with the ball he can improve,” the Austrian responded.
“He had no pre-season and this is never perfect for a player, but he had enough time to come back in good shape.
“I think he is physically so far one of the better full-backs we have, with fewer options with the loss of Tino (Livramento) last year and we couldn’t really replace him in the summer.
“We were hoping Perraud was coming back to this level he had and against the ball he is one of the better defenders we have. With the ball he can improve but this is something not only for him, for nearly every player.”
Perraud has racked up 34 appearances for Saints since his summer 2021 arrival, including 31 of those in the English top-flight.
He spent most of last season behind Walker-Peters playing on the left, before Tino Livramento’s ACL injury at Brighton & Hove Albion in April.
Saints did recruit Manchester City youngster Juan Larios, 18, on deadline day – aided by outgoing head of recruitment Joe Shields – but early impressions suggest the teen needs time.
It leaves Perraud largely uncontested and closer to irreplaceable – with Hasenhuttl already trying to plug the gap on the right-hand side and experiencing varying degrees of success.
The boss still insists that Larios’ presence pushes Perraud, adding: “I think it is always important for every player that he has a little bit of pressure.
“We saw it with Kyle (Walker-Peters), and how much he had to step up to play with Tino there. It is always helpful with every player and was the reason we were happy with Juan coming in.
“It should be always a situation that pushes every player to the highest possible level.”
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