As reported by The Daily Mail, Southampton manager Claude Puel has urged Southampton fans to be patient with summer signing Sofiane Boufal, as he makes his return to football after a lengthy injury.
It seems, though, the French boss needn’t worry as he’s done some decent winning over in recent weeks of our local Saints fans here in the Transfer Tavern to say the least.
At the start of the year they were unsure but with results like the 1-1 draw away at Manchester City at the weekend, they are confident they’ve got the right man.
And Puel reckons things will get even better once Boufal is up and running at full capacity. He’s quoted as saying: “It’s important to stay patient with him, to see him come back step by step. He will be an important player for the squad. It’s important to keep him with a good physical level and without injury.”
The Moroccan international has not played much for the Saints since his move due to a knee injury, but came on against City at the weekend as he gets back to full-fitness.
He is contention to play against Sunderland in the EFL Cup this week but may once again feature from the bench.
Our landlord saw a lot of Boufal during his time in Ligue 1 with Lille, and genuinely thinks that playmaker has the ability to become a Dimitri Payet-esq player for the Saints.
Music to the Southampton fans’ ears!
Think he’ll be a star Saints fans? Let us know below!
