Ralph Hasenhuttl has confirmed that Moussa Djenepo won’t be available for selection against Bournemouth tonight.
Speaking to the press before the important clash against their Premier League south coast rivals, the Austrian manager admitted that the Mali international is unavailable to face off against Eddie Howe’s side, with Nathan Redmond also likely to have a late fitness test before the match.
Hasenhuttl said via Southampton’s official website: “Nathan could train this week with the team. This is a good message how far he us and if he really can play tomorrow, I haven’t decided so far. It’s good that he could play because Moussa is out for tomorrow and cannot play.”
The former RB Leipzig manager added with: “After a few sessions this week, he felt a little bit more in his muscles so we don’t want to take this risk and we will keep him out tomorrow. I don’t know if I can grab Nathan for his position. I haven’t decided so far but we one session tomorrow in the morning and then I will decide.”
Djenepo misses out due to a muscle injury similar to the one that kept the new Southampton hero out of their fixture against Manchester United before the international break.
The absence of the former Standard Liege winger will be a blow for the Saints following Djenepo’s impressive performance last week against Sheffield United, where his solo goal was all it took for Hasenhuttl’s side to take home the three points.
With Bournemouth heading into tonight’s game on the back of an impressive 3-1 win against Everton, Southampton will seemingly face a tough side who are feeling confident after an inspired performance against the Toffees, and with Djenepo, trying to get three points will be made that much difficult for the Saints.
