The Saints defender was getting little game time prior to Ralph Hasenhuttl’s arrival.
Southampton defender Jan Bednarek has spoken out about how he found it so frustrating to be in and out of the team that he considered leaving the club to get some game time.
The Poland international joined Saints from Lech Poznan in July 2017 for £5.4million, according to Transfermarkt, but did not make his debut until nine months later.
Even though Bednarek scored against Chelsea and proved pivotal in the club’s relegation run-in, he ended up fighting for his first-team place again in 2018-19, and only played 80 Premier League minutes prior to Ralph Hasenhuttl taking the reins.
From being fifth-choice centre-back behind Jannik Vestergaard, Wesley Hoedt, Jack Stephens and Maya Yoshida to becoming an integral part of the Austrian’s plans and also the team’s upturn in form, it’s safe to say he probably won’t be going anywhere anytime soon.
However, in an interview with the official Southampton website, the 22-year-old made it clear just how frustrating he found his time at St Mary’s prior to Hasenhuttl’s arrival and admitted he was looking to push for a January loan departure if he continued to be omitted.
“I was out of the team and out of the squad,” he said. “For eight games in a row I didn’t have any minutes, so I was thinking about other options – to go on loan to another club where I would get some minutes.
“But one day, a new manager came in and he decided to give me a chance straightaway. I think you need a little bit of luck, but I had to be ready for that moment. You never know what can happen with a new coach, but I was lucky that he came in, gave me the chance and trusted in me.”
Some Southampton fans reacted on Twitter to Bednarek’s interview and they definitely seemed glad he did not leave in the end:
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