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Report: AWOL Saints man reveals reasoning for his on the pitch absence last month

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Image for Report: AWOL Saints man reveals reasoning for his on the pitch absence last month

Southampton defender Cedric Soares has come clean as to why he chose not to play against Tottenham last weekend in the Premier League.

The Portuguese international admitted in a Twitter post that he picked up an injury in the warm-up to the game against Spurs, resulting in a late change that saw James Ward-Prowse play at right-wing-back for the Saints.

Yet it was a decision that was seemingly surrounded in mystery. Ralph Hasenhuttl himself admitted that he did not know what had happened to the fullback in an interview with The Southern Daily Echo following the eventual 2-1 defeat to Southampton on the day.

However, it seems that Cedric is on the mend, though it is still unsure what exactly the former Sporting Lisbon right-back did to force himself out of the crucial game over the weekend and how long the Saints number 2 will be away from first-team action.

His injury could mean that youngster Yan Valery, who was heavily involved with the first-team last season yet has seen chances remain limited this time around as numbers from Transfermarkt show, might return to the starting XI.

With Chelsea next to come for Hasenhuttl and fans growing weary of the Austrian manager playing players out of position, with Ward-Prowse as a wingback the latest in a long line of episodes already this season of Saints stars being fielded away from their neutral role.

The injury means that Cedric now joins Moussa Djenepo on the injury-table, with the Mali international missing the past three Premier League games due to a muscle problem that has kept the youngster away from the first-team action as reported by Southampton’s official website after an inspired start to life in England.

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