With Southampton now preparing for our final Premier League clash of the 2018/19 campaign as we welcome already relegated Huddersfield Town to St Mary’s Stadium this coming Sunday, plenty of fans are now wondering if manager Ralph Hasenhuttl will again spring a few surprises on the starting lineup like he did in the game against West Ham United.
25-year-old midfielder Mario Lemina has had a mixed season for us during another year of league struggles, as he was severely waylaid with injury at the turn of the year, and should he make an appearance in the Huddersfield game, it’ll be only his 24th showing of the campaign given the months he spent on the sidelines.
With him getting 75 minutes under his belt last weekend, Lemina told the Daily Echo that he was thankful to Hasenhuttl for remaining patient with him and slowly bringing him back into the first team fold.
“It’s been hard for me to come back into the team. It was my first 75 minutes and I am really happy to play for that long despite the result. I am getting better and I hope I will play the next game as well. He trusts me like he trusts every other player. He has allowed me to play the last game and has given me time to get fit.”
He added.
“With this manager, we can believe in a lot of things. I think we are going to grow again because the defeat to West Ham isn’t who we are. We are going to grow next year.”
There will be plenty who hope he’s right about the prediction for next season.
