Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhuttl has confirmed that winger Nathan Redmond is set to be out of action for up to two months.
Redmond was absent from the matchday 18 as Southampton lost 2-1 to Burnley and Hasenhuttl revealed to Adam Blackmore after the game that Redmond has suffered an injury.
Twitter: To make things worse, #SaintsFC boss Ralph Hasenhuettl told me Nathan Redmond set to be out for ‘1-2 months’ https://t.co/WsBPI5pX87 (@AdamBlackmore)
The forward is now poised to be out for at least a month as Southampton head into the final 12 games of the season.
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Losing Redmond could be a massive blow to the Saints, given his recent form for Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side. The forward has produced one goal and two assists in his last four appearances, including an incredible assist against Tottenham. He dribbled past several Spurs defenders before picking out Danny Ings on the edge of the box to fire into the corner.
Without Redmond, Southampton are lacking a player to drive the team up the pitch in transition. Redmond is excellent at carrying the ball between the thirds and opening up room for Southampton to break forward and counter effectively. This means that, without him, Southampton could struggle to counter-attack as well as they do with him on the pitch.
Southampton may need Moussa Djenepo to step up and carry the torch in the coming weeks if Hasenhuttl decides that he is capable of starting in Redmond’s place. Djenepo could be relied upon to carry the ball down the flank and initiate attacks for Southampton, which means that he could need to improve his retention of the ball and be more careful with what he does in possession.
While they both average over two completed dribbles per game, Redmond trumps him in key passes – with 1.2 per game compared to Djenepo’s 0.4. This shows how Redmond is more productive with the ball on the break and how having Djenepo in the side could lessen how effective Southampton are in the final third, due to his lack of end product in terms of chances created via key passes in relation to Redmond.
