Ryan Bertrand has been speaking about his relationship with Matt Targett ahead of Southampton’s trip to Aston Villa this weekend.
The 30-year-old, who had a brief stint in the Midlands on loan before arriving at St Mary’s, fought with the 23-year-old for the left-back position at Saints for a number of seasons.
However, Targett completed a £14 million move to Villa in the summer, and having overcome some injury setbacks, he has emerged as a key man for Dean Smith’s side.
Bertrand discussed the progress of his former teammate with The Daily Echo. The England international said:
He is a very good young player and he had the opportunity to go there and play more consistently.
It’s a fantastic club to go and do that at. He is showing that, and he is doing really well.
We would talk openly, which I think is the best thing. You get a relationship because, at the end of the day, the players don’t pick the team, so there is never any bad energy between the two.
It’s important you talk together and grow together, and I think we did that.
Even though he wasn’t playing, he was developing and found a moment when he could go and found a good club.
Read Southampton’s verdict
Bertrand has always been a more rounded player than Targett, but it wouldn’t be unreasonable to suggest that the Villa man has actually performed better than the experienced defender this season.
Targett needed to leave for first-team football and it has since proven to be a wise decision. What has not been wise, however, is Southampton’s failure to recruit a replacement for their academy graduate.
At times this term, Ralph Hasenhuttl has used the likes of Kevin Danso, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Moussa Djenepo on the left, with Bertrand still failing to wholly convince.
