Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhuttl says he is unsure on whether or not Moussa Djenepo will play against West Ham this weekend.
Djenepo is a doubt for the clash following the unfortunate news of his mother passing this week, with Hasenhuttl waiting to see how he is feeling ahead of the game.
When asked by the Daily Echo if he will travel, Hasenhuttl said:
I’m not sure – we must have a look at how he feels and if he wants to go there.
The message in the morning was not the best for us because he lost his mum and our thoughts are with him at the moment.
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Some things are simply bigger than football and this is certainly the case with Djenepo. No one can predict or guess how someone is feeling after such a loss in the family and how that can impact their state of mind.
Hasenhuttl needs to let Djenepo have the final call and allow him as much time as possible to cope with his loss. It could be difficult for Djenepo to switch on and deal with the pressure of playing a Premier League game just days after his mother’s passing, which is why Southampton need to give him time off to deal with it.
As much as Southampton’s Premier League results are pivotal, Djenepo’s well-being and mental state is far more important. The club need to make sure that he gets the help he needs, if he needs any, and not rush him back into action too soon.
