Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhuttl has revealed that Ibrahima Diallo is set to be handed his first start for the Saints when they travel to Fulham on Boxing Day, while he is also hopeful that Danny Ings could return.
Diallo has had to wait patiently for opportunities to impress at St Mary’s since he made the £11m summer move from French side Brest, with the 21-year-old having so far only been handed six brief cameo appearances from the bench in the Premier League. However, the midfielder is a player who the Saints view as a vital long-term asset.
For their Boxing Day trip to struggling Fulham, the Saints will be without one of their star men so far this season as Oriol Romeu is suspended. The 29-year-old has started every match in the league so far but his absence from the starting line-up offers a potential opportunity for Diallo to come into the side and prove his worth.
Speaking to Hampshire Live, Hasenhuttl confirmed that Diallo is set to get the nod to start in midfield and he suggested that he has full belief in the 21-year-old’s talents and long-term potential. The manager said of Diallo:
He is, against and with the ball, definitely a player who is very, very energetic and he will help us immediately, I think.
Yes, he must learn our way – to work and to press – but I think he is an intelligent one and this means I am looking forward to seeing him play.
Ibra is a player for our future and I think it is good now that he has a chance to play there. It will be a tough, tough game. We played there in pre-season and we lost there, they showed how strong they are.
But we have a normal week now to rest and to prepare and Ibra will have the chance to step into the team and this is a good thing.
The Austrian is also hopeful that Ings could return to action after suffering a hamstring injury during the defeat against Manchester City, saying: “I don’t have to explain his qualities, you’ve all known him now for a long time and how good he is on the ball and against the ball.
“Hopefully, Ings is also fit. We’ll have a look. There is a long way to go now.”
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Diallo certainly has a major role to play for Southampton over the next few years and Hasenhuttl has already shown that he likes to be patient with his new signings and give them time to develop and get used to his system. That has been demonstrated through the way in which Kyle Walker-Peters in particular has been brought in and developed gradually.
The French midfielder has huge shoes to fill in the absence of Romeu against Fulham and it will be interesting to see whether he can come straight into the side and deliver a strong performance.
Diallo will hope that he can show the same kind of quality he did for Brest last season, when he averaged two tackles and 1.2 interceptions per game as well as maintaining a passing accuracy rate of 86% (Sofascore). If he can do that, the Saints should be as strong as ever in the middle of the park.
