Southampton have got off to a steady start in Ralph Hasenhuttl’s first full season in charge of the club. Four points from four games is solid, as they’ve overcome Brighton and drawn at Manchester United to bounce back from defeats at the hands of Liverpool and Burnley in the opening two fixtures.
However, as the Saints go marching on and aim to climb up the table to better their current position of 13th, one man in the side is absolutely crucial to their progress. Whilst it was Jannik Vestergaard who grabbed the crucial equaliser against Manchester United, his central defensive partner deserves some praise.
Young Jan Bednarek has been a staple of the Saints’ first-team ever since Ralph Hasenhuttl first took over back on December 5th 2018 (BBC), with the Austrian in the dugout Bednarek is yet to miss a single minute of Premier League action, and his stats show why his manager relies upon him so heavily.
The young defender, according to WhoScored, won 3.2 aerial duels per game as well as averaging 1.6 tackles, 2.8 interceptions and 6.8 clearances last season in the Premier League in his 25 appearances, and this season has seen the youngster continue to thrive.
As previously mentioned, the Polish international hasn’t missed a minute of league action under Hasenhuttl, and as a result of that, he’s been key in the club’s first four games of this season. Against Manchester United, the defender earned a 7.25/10 rating, as per Saints Marching.
The Saints’ fan page described the defender as ‘growing into a leader and someone we hope is going to be in that backline for years to come. This match he had 8 clearances to go along with a tackle, 2 aerial duels won, and an interception.’ only further proving his consistencies and ability at the heart of the club’s defence.
