Nathan Redmond is out ahead of the Manchester United clash on Saturday. The Saints will be keen to have him fit as soon as possible given that the winger has both scored and assisted in the last week, but after being withdrawn against Fulham with an ankle problem Ralph Hasenhuttl has confirmed he won’t be fit.
With the English winger missing out on the weekend, there is one man who has been somewhat forgotten at St. Mary’s who could well be in Ralph Hasenhuttl’s thinking as a potential replacement, the £16m Norwegian winger Mohamed Elyounoussi.
The wide-man has failed to make the club’s matchday squad at all so far this season, even when Hasenhuttl opted for rotation against Fulham in the week, but that doesn’t mean he won’t be called upon should he be needed as a result of injuries to those ahead of him.
Last season was hardly a successful one for the former Basel man in his debut season for the Saints as he racked up 19 appearances in all competitions without scoring or assisting, Transfermarkt, however, if he can rediscover the form that saw him bag 11 goals and 15 assists in a 33 Swiss Super League season then he’d surely be in contention for starts at St. Mary’s.
It would be a bold call from Hasenhuttl to call upon Elyounoussi, who’s still searching for that first Saints goal, in a game against Manchester United, but the stats indicate that it’s not all grim viewing when it comes to the winger.
According to WhoScored, Elyounoussi averaged 0.9 key passes per game in the Premier League last season, as well as 1.3 shots and 1 tackle per 90 minutes in the competition too, showing that he does a job both in attack and defence, even if he failed to get off the mark in a forgettable 2018/19.
