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Southampton: Ralph Hasenhuttl drops major hint over potential return for Mohamed Elyounoussi
Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhuttl has suggested that the Saints could offer a chance for Mohamed Elyounoussi to return to the first team squad for the start of next season.
The forward is currently out on loan with Celtic for the second successive season. The 26-year-old has fallen down the pecking order at St Mary’s after struggling to make much of an impact in the Premier League since his £16m move from Basel in the summer of 2018.
Hasenhuttl monitoring performances of Celtic loanee
Elyounoussi has made a strong start to the season so far, averaging 1.1 shots per game as well as maintaining a 79% passing accuracy in the Scottish Premiership (Sofascore). However, his form in Europe has been even more impressive having registered six goals in six appearances across the Champions League and Europa League (Sofascore).
It has previously been reported that Elyounoussi could potentially be handed a chance to impress Hasenhuttl when he returns to the club next summer, per The Athletic. Considering he still has another three years remaining on his £60,000-a-week (Spotrac) contract, that could be the best option for the Saints.
Speaking in his press conference ahead of the Saints’ trip to Aston Villa on Sunday, Hasenhuttl suggested that he is continuing to monitor the performances of Elyounoussi ahead of potentially re-introducing back into the first-team fold for next season.
He said: “I am very deeply invested in what my loan players do and I am very happy for [Elyounoussi] that he scored and I am happy to see it.
“And, definitely, the player has a chance to maybe come back in and to be a part of the team, maybe next year.”
Elyounoussi must take second chance to rescue Saints career
Elyounoussi arrived at St Mary’s with a burgeoning reputation after delivering a string of impressive performances for Basel and he registered 11 goals and eight assists in his final campaign for the Swiss side (Sofascore). The 26-year-old has even been labelled as a ‘revelation’ by former Celtic star Chris Commons for his performances during his loan spells with the Scottish giants.
However, despite all that promise, things never worked out for the Norwegian in his only full season with the Saints so far. He only averaged 0.9 shots and 0.6 successful dribbles per game, as well as giving the ball away 8.3 times per match (Sofascore). He must ensure he continues to impress at Celtic and then must be able to improve upon his Premier League showing to be worthy of another chance.
In other news, find out what major team news hint Hasenhuttl dropped over ‘physical’ star here.
