“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.”

“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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