Ralph Hasenhuttl has spoken about how Kevin Danso's chances of playing have increased after the departure of Maya Yoshida in the January transfer window.
One of the big mysteries of this season is why we brought in Kevin Danso on loan and then virtually ignored him in any position let alone in central defence his preferred position.
That mystery was made even more surprising given the poor form earlier in the season of all of our other central defensive options, although Danso got the odd game employed as a full back, his only true appearance in the centre came at Fulham in the League Cup/
But with Yoshida now gone Ralph Hasenhuttl has commented that Danso has stepped up in the pecking order and could get a chance to show his worth.
Hasenhuttl said:
"He’s a young player and I know he always had to play a position so far that is not his best as a right or left-back.
"He played one time [as a centre-back] in the Carabao Cup against Fulham. That’s where he is more used to playing.
"Now, maybe in the future, he will have more chances as a centre-back where he is more comfortable.”
Danso nearly left in the transfer window, but when Yoshida departed Saints felt that they couldn't risk letting him go.
But is there truly any point in playing him unless we are considering signing him permanently and in any case why would Danso want to stay having been virtually ignored all season.
If Hasenhuttl rated Danso and he sees him every day in training then he would have surely tried him earlier in the season when we were appalling, even against Huddersfield in the FA Cup Danso played at full back whilst Yoshida played in the middle, this seemed strange, we learn't nothing new about Yoshida in that game, but we could have found out whether Danso is going to have a future at St Mary's.
At the moment Danso has moved up a place in the pecking order but he is still behind Bednarek, Stephens and Vestergaard, it will take two injuries or suspensions to see him picked in the centre of the defence and that is not going to happen very often.