Southampton defender Yan Valery could have played his way out of the team following a disappointing performance against Newcastle.
The French defender made his first appearance for the club since November and showed serious signs of rust as he struggled against Steve Bruce’s side.
Valery was at fault for the only goal of the game, as his poor control whilst facing his own goal allowed Allan Saint-Maximin to rob him of possession and squeeze the ball past Alex McCarthy.
So what does this mean for the trip to Norwich next weekend in the Premier League?
Southampton should drop Yan Valery and bring Kyle Walker-Peters back in at right-back. Walker-Peters showed signs of promise on his debut against Burnley, but has only been able to make the bench for the last two games due to an injury issue. If he is fully fit for the trip to Carrow Road, it could be the perfect time to put him in for his second appearance.
This is because he is only on loan until the end of the season and Southampton need to make the most of him whilst he is at the club. Ralph Hasenhuttl should be looking to give him as much exposure as possible, to see if he is good enough to potentially earn a permanent move to the club in the summer from Tottenham. The only way to see if he is at the standard required is to give him regular game time in the Premier League, starting with the clash with Norwich.
Hasenhuttl already knows what Valery can and can’t do from his performances over the last 18 months or so, but Walker-Peters is still a relatively unknown quantity. Considering Valery’s poor performance, what is the harm in giving Walker-Peters an opportunity to show that he can be an improvement?
Valery recorded a worrying WhoScored rating of 5.93, as he was dribbled past three times and was dispossessed twice – including for the goal. If Walker-Peters starts against Norwich and is able to show that he can produce good performances at right-back, he could become Southampton’s first-choice for the final nine games of the campaign.
