Ralph Hasenhuttl believes Mohammed Salisu is getting ‘closer and closer’ to making his Premier League debut for Southampton, speaking to Hampshire Live at his pre-match press conference.
There is something distinctly Southampton-y about the new £10 million centre-back signed earlier in the summer from Real Valladolid.
The Saints are the masters of unearthing raw talents from mainland Europe and Salisu, who only made his senior debut in La Liga 13 months ago, will be hoping to replicate the impact made by the likes of Virgil van Dijk, Dusan Tadic and Sadio Mane on the South Coast.
With Hasenhuttl admitting earlier this week that he sees the ‘fantastic’ Salisu as a ‘long-term project’ rather than a player capable of immediately forcing his way into the starting XI, the 21-year-old Ghanaian will have to be patient.
Yet a Premier League debut should not be too far away for a man who went up against the likes of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Karim Benzema last term.
“Salisu is coming closer and closer to being an alternative and hopefully we see him soon,” says Hasenhuttl ahead of Sunday’s home clash with an out-of-sorts Tottenham Hotspur.
Jan Bednarek and Jack Stephens have started Southampton’s first two games of 2020/21.
But do not be surprised if Hasenhuttl shakes things up after a calamitous defensive performance in the 2-0 home defeat to EFL Cup opponents Brentford in midweek.
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