Why Southampton need to give out of favour star Sofiane Boufal another chance
The Daily Mail has recently revealed that both Guido Carrillo and Sofiane Boufal do have a future at Southampton, despite falling out with former manager Mark Hughes. Both players are currently out on loan at the moment. , the latter needs to get more opportunities under Ralph Hasenhuttl.
The Moroccan star arrived at the St. Mary’s Stadium with a lot of hype surrounding him, however, he eventually struggled to make an impact despite showing glimpses of his talent. It led to a fall out between him and former manager Mark Hughes, with the record signing even being banished from the first-team. (Guardian).
The 25-year-old was loaned out to Celta de Vigo, where he has shown his ability for the relegation-threatened side. His talent and propensity on the ball have shone during this rough spell, and he still remains a valuable asset. But to answer the question as to why Southampton should give him another chance, it’s simply because he’s arguably their best creative force.
The Saints lack creativity, which is one of the main reasons why they are in a relegation fight, despite improving under new manager Ralph Hasenhuttl.
So far nobody in the Southampton side have managed to create more than four assists with Nathan Redmond leading the chart. Two behind him are Cedric Soares, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Matt Targett and Shane Long, which shows exactly where and why they need Boufal in their side.
A talented attacking midfielder, many Southampton fans believed that the 25-year-old would be the perfect replacement for outgoing Sadio Mane.
But the 25-year-old struggled in his debut season, producing just three goals in 30 appearances, thanks in part to multiple injuries to his knee. However, his second season saw things change as Southampton grew slowly into the season but once Mark Hughes was appointed, things went from bad to worse for Boufal.
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Now with Hasenhuttl’s appointment, the 25-year-old has the skills and the work rate to flourish under a manager who loves using a creative midfielder.
That combined with the fact that Boufal is very similar to Emile Forsberg and Marcel Sabitzer, it does help the 25-year-old as it gives him a way back into the team. But he needs to take it and Southampton needs to give him a chance to showcase what he can really do.
