Southampton should bring midfielder Stuart Armstrong back into the team after Ralph Hasenhuttl revealed that he is available for selection again this weekend.
Armstrong was forced to watch on from the sidelines as Southampton lost 1-0 to Newcastle last weekend after suffering from concussion. Allan Saint-Maximin scored the only goal of the game, as winger Moussa Djenepo was also sent off and will serve a three-match ban.
Speaking to The Athletic’s Carl Anka, Hasenhuttl confirmed that Armstrong will be available for selection against Norwich.
Twitter: TEAM NEWS #SaintsFC
– Redmond is out
– Moussa is suspended
– Stuart Armstrong is backHasenhuttl speaking of Ar… https://t.co/yHioKJguMu (@Ankaman616)
With Djenepo and Redmond both out, the 19-cap Scottish international could be the ideal candidate to come back to the starting XI. Sofiane Boufal might start in one of the wide number 10 positions, with Armstrong lining up on the other side to add further attacking threat to Southampton’s side.
Only James Ward-Prowse and Danny Ings have scored more Premier League goals than Armstrong this season and he is important to how they attack as a team. He has scored three in the league, but his work on and off the ball in the build-up is equally as important. Armstrong makes excellent runs into space, is able to drag defenders out of position and is also able to play clever passes in the build-up to create crossing or shooting opportunities.
Bringing him back in could help to stretch Norwich’s defence and put them under pressure early on. If he can link up with Boufal, Ings and Shane Long on the edge of Norwich’s box then he could cause plenty of problems for the relegation-threatened side. This is because the fast passing and movement can be difficult to deal with, especially for a Norwich side who have conceded 52 goals in 29 games so far.
