As Matt Le Tissier reflected on Southampton successfully avoiding relegation once more in the Premier League campaign of 2018/19, he spoke about the development of midfielder Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg since he arrived at the club and he felt that manager Ralph Hasenhuttl had to build the side around his talents.
The 23-year-old Denmark international has become a key figure in the side since his £12.8million arrival from Bayern Munich back in the summer of 2016, and Hasenhuttl has continued to lean on him as our club skipper this campaign.
With his effort and determination seeing him as a clear fan favourite, MLT isn’t the first to suggest that he is a massive lynchpin for us, but in his interview with the Daily Echo whilst admitting he still had areas of his game to improve on, he felt he had a massive future at the club ahead of him.
“I think he got sent off twice this season, which for a captain isn’t particularly great. He has got to work on that side of his game because he can be a little bit rash, but it comes from the right place. His heart is in the right place because he only wants the best for the football club. I think if he curbs that side of things, then I think he will be a captain for many years to come at the football club. He has got that character that you see someone who cares passionately about what he is doing and how the team perform. I think he is one player who I would definitely be looking to keep and get on a long-term contract and keep him as the captain.”
His bite is one of the things fans like about him as he battles away on the pitch but you can only imagine he’ll continue to show further improvement under Hasenhuttl given the effect he’s already had on the group.
Hopefully, given the upward curve he seems to be on, he’ll be one player we don’t get tempted into selling like we have done in previous years.
“We’ll See How It Is When I Return” – Winger Remains Confident About His Chances At Southampton
