“We are still looking, yes” – fullback shortfall only heightens Hasenhuttl’s need for winter cover

Southampton’s fullback positions were already threadbare. Never mind another injury to another important player.

Ralph Hasenhuttl’s pre-match press conference commenced at its usual time of 1.30pm. The first question shortly followed.

The opening line of inquiry was unsurprisingly related to the news Frank Lampard has been relieved of his duties at Chelsea. The reporter wanted Hasenhuttl’s take on it. Whenever a seminal moment transpires within the league, it is standard practice for the rest of the Premier League’s protagonists to be asked about it.

But Hasenhuttl’s wasn’t in the mood to talk about another club or another manager’s misfortunes. In the moments prior to entering the Zoom meeting with the media, he was battling his own afflictions. “I think it’s not interesting what my reaction was because I have other issues at the moment to think about,” the Austrian opened with.

“I have to be honest I have other issues to think about; a lot of injured players – Kyle Walker-Peters took an injury today in the session, so he’s also maybe also out for tomorrow. I definitely have other issues at the moment, other problems.

“The quad made some problems today. He (Walker-Peters) didn’t really train hard, only warmed up a little bit, and afterwards obviously was feeling it, and stepped inside immediately. So we must have a look.”

And that is exactly it; problems. It was the buzz word for the presser, a seemingly worrying occurring theme that has become the prelude to every recent Hasenhuttl interview. Injury woes continue to show no signs of lessening or losing its strikerate. Not helped by the limited access to some of Staplewood’s indoor facilities – most notably recovery equipment – you could not blame the Southampton boss for a tangible sense of apprehension every time the club’s medical team knock on his office door.

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With Ryan Bertrand also ruled out of Tuesday’s rematch against Arsenal due to the amount of yellow cards accrued, Hasenhuttl faces a late dilemma in figuring out his two full-back positions.

“We have to find a solution and we have to find the right players to help us there. There are some young players. They want to step in and grab that chance with both hands. We must and we will find a team that is competitive.”

Given the way Southampton layer their offensive patterns, both full-backs play a vital role in the side’s construction of build-up play. In attack, they provide width due to the two number 10’s drifting in narrow and often into the ‘red zone’. Without the ball, they are tasked with a multitude of different and demanding errands, from lung-busting recovery runs to aggressive, front-foot defending in their 1v1 duels.

This means any switch of personnel can have an immeasurable and sometimes disruptive effect on the overall set-up of the team. If those replacing Kyle Walker-Peters and Ryan Bertrand do not fully get to the grips with the various nuances of the position – likely to be Yan Valery and Jake Vokins against Arsenal – then the whole team could suffer. A precarious area indeed.

Hasenhuttl even alluded to the significance of getting the decision right in who can replace the unavailable duo, saying: “After Ryan Bertrand out with a fifth yellow card it’s also a replacement from a full back. We have to find the right decision, and this is what we’re fully concentrated in, in finding the right solutions, because it’s an important position in our game at the moment.”

This is where January enforcements enter the frame. Even before upon hearing the news that they were without Walker-Peters and Bertrand, it was widely understood Hasenhuttl and Southampton were actively pursuing another full back to provide cover and maintain competition. The deal was always going to be a loan deal, with Brandon Williams earmarked as the chief target.

A move for the 20-year-old had been on the cards during the final days of the summer window, only for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to veto the deal at the last minute. With Williams having not made the bench for United’s FA Cup clash against Liverpool on the weekend, a loan deal until the end of the season could still be resurrected.

On Monday, Hasenhuttl confirmed Saints remain active in the transfer market and are “hopeful” of bringing someone in:

“Still hopeful because the more it comes to the end of the transfer window the more pressure players also make on their clubs because they want to leave. When you have no perspective anymore, not even part of the squad it’s also not good for the club to keep them because when they are not playing them they are not getting better and they lose worth and in the end must be a win-win-win situation for everybody, the best thing to do and I’m still hopeful yes.”

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Williams is believed to be in favour of moving to the south coast in search for more game time. However, the longstanding sticking point remains over Manchester United’s reluctance to let a player go that could suddenly be of importance if injuries or an outbreak of COVID-19 hit Carrington.

To coin a Hasenhuttl phrase, if it not to be Williams, Southampton’s eyes remain ‘wide open’ to other loan possibilities.

“We are still looking, yes. We know that we have not the most experience to replace them (Walker-Peters and Bertrand) so we need a good package if we want to make us stronger in this position. You never know. You see how quick it can go and suddenly you lose both and then you are a little bit out of experience in this position. It’s sometimes important to have a good replacement there.”

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