There were very few people weren’t left surprised on Tuesday evening when Ralph Hasenhuttl opted to deploy his captain Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg at left-back against Fulham, but the Danish midfielder showed exactly what he’s capable of with a fine display.
The former Bayern Munich midfield man stepped into the new role for the first time on his 100th appearance for the Saints, and he shone, delivering a sublime ball into Nathan Redmond who in turn set up Michael Obafemi for the game’s only goal, and it could be a role that we see Hojbjerg in more going forward.
There is stiff competition at left-back at St, Mary’s, though, in the form of the impressive Ryan Bertrand. But with Hasenhuttl rotating, it was his midfield maestro who got the nod at left-back and what a job he did, potentially throwing up a selection headache ahead of Manchester United’s trip to the South coast.
After the Fulham game, Read Southampton gave their player ratings and the makeshift left-full-back was given a healthy rating of 8/10 for his performance, as they asked the question: ‘Is there anything this man can’t do?’
The 24-year-old has shown his ability to defend and drive forward from deep positions before, in the Premier League last season Hojbjerg averaged 1.3 tackles per game as well as 0.7 dribbles and three long balls, stats that can be directly transferred to full-back, as per WhoScored.
Over the summer, Inter Milan and Atletico Madrid were linked with a move for Ryan Bertrand, as per The Daily Mail, and with the European window still just about open, Hasenhuttl could allow his full-back to go if he plans to reposition Hojbjerg, something that is more than viable after his midweek showing.
