29 October 2021

Southampton boss Ralph Hasenhuttl eager to see James Ward-Prowse back in side

29 October 2021

Southampton boss Ralph Hasenhuttl is looking forward to having James Ward-Prowse in the team for the visit to Watford.

The England international has missed the last three games through suspension having been sent off in the Premier League loss to Chelsea.

Ibrahima Diallo has filled the void well, but Ward-Prowse’s quality on the ball will give Saints an extra dimension.

“It will be very good, although I have to say his position which Ibrahima Diallo took was very well done,” Hasenhuttl said.

“It’s important we have him back but it doesn’t mean Ibrahima’s not playing any more because we have a few more options there.

“Having Ward-Prowse back in the team is always very positive for us and hopefully he can be ready after the break he had.”

While Hasenhuttl will have Ward-Prowse back at his disposal, he will not be able to call on Armando Broja.

The on-loan Chelsea striker picked up an ankle injury in last weekend’s draw with Burnley, having scored two goals in his last two games.

Hasenhuttl knows Broja will be missed, but backs his other strikers – Che Adams and Adam Armstrong – to fill the void.

“There’s no question that he showed in the two Premier League games he started that he has the qualities we want to have,” he said.

“But very often in football, as soon as something is looking very pretty, an injury comes or a suspension. You have to reset the group and you never have time to think, ‘What if?’.

“It’s about working out what you can do and finding the best possible shape with the best mix of players up front to give you the extra quality to score.

“As we saw on Tuesday, without Broja we still have players who can score. We have to give them the trust and bring them into the position where we can make the final goal. This is the challenge for me and a challenge for the team.”

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