Ralph Hasenhuttl has suggested Southampton won’t look to turn Takumi Minamino’s loan deal into a permanent transfer this summer, speaking to BT Sport about the Liverpool-owned attacker.
The Japan international swapped Anfield for St Mary’s in the January transfer window in search of more regular game time.
Almost three months on, has his decision been vindicated? Well, sort of.
Minamino made an impressive start to life on the South Coast, showing a goal-shy Liverpool side what they were missing with a stunning finish against Newcastle United on debut before netting in a 1-1 draw with Chelsea.
Since then, however, things have gone quiet.
Minamino has failed to get off the bench in two of Southampton’s past three Premier League matches and, with Nathan Redmond and Theo Walcott shining in his absence during Sunday’s 3-2 triumph over Burnley, the 26-year-old could find himself stuck on the sidelines once more.
“We haven’t had any negotiations about (a permanent deal) so far. We are not aware of what Liverpool’s plans are for him in the summer,” Hasenhuttl explained when asked about Minamino’s future.
“The deal was simply to give him game time during the second half of the year. This is what we have done, until now, and hopefully he will get more chances to play.
“The most important thing for him is he gets a chance to play. We had so much rotation with injuries and everything it was clear he would get a lot of game time.
“At the moment it is a little bit more difficult, I think, but we like his quality. He scored a few good goals for us so far. I am happy to have him on the bench.”
Does this mean Minamino will be left out of the starting XI again for Monday’s trip to West Brom?
It seems unlikely, after those Burnley heroics, that Redmond or Walcott will be dropped to make room for the Liverpool loanee.
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