MX23RW : Monday, November 25 19:21:24| >> :120:35556:35556:

Ralph Hasenhuttl expresses concern over Stuart Armstrong's Scotland "nonsense"

Ralph Hasenhuttl expresses concern over Stuart Armstrong's Scotland
© Reuters
Stuart Armstrong missed the opening Premier League fixture through injury.

Southampton boss Ralph Hasenhuttl would welcome a chat with Scotland manager Steve Clarke to avoid the "nonsense" of midfielder Stuart Armstrong potentially playing three matches over the international break.

Armstrong missed the opening Premier League fixture at Crystal Palace having sustained a thigh problem after featuring in both of Scotland's Nations League games at the start of September.

The 28-year-old is again likely to be a central figure for Clarke's squad, who face a crunch Euro 2020 play-off versus Israel on October 8 followed by Nations League matches against Slovakia and Czech Republic at Hampden Park.

Hasenhuttl was left less than impressed by the player returning to club duty injured last time around, feeling Armstrong needs to be carefully managed as his energetic style makes him susceptible to picking up niggling problems.

"Maybe I should take a phone call because it is definitely not possible for him to play three games in six or seven days. It is nonsense," the Austrian said.

"I don't understand this behaviour at the moment anyway. We don't have five subs in the Premier League, but they play three games in six days.

"We have definitely not the best relationship at the moment with the international squads, I think.

"It is something that, for the players, is very tough to handle. Hopefully he stays fit and comes back fit."

Hasenhuttl knows how crucial Armstrong is to his Southampton team.

"In the moment he's definitely one of our most important players because he shows all the time, exactly the behaviours I want to see," said Hasenhuttl, whose side host West Brom on Sunday.

"He's very smart, knows exactly the spaces where he has to move in. He's hard to catch there, hard to tackle there.

"I think he definitely adapted his game to the things we are demanding and finally the outcome is a much better, much more efficient performance for us as a team.

"Hopefully his development continues in this way, he stays fit. Sometimes there's a little bit of problems with small injuries and that sets him back all the time.

"Hopefully he stays fit now and then he can be definitely a very important player for us this season."

ID:416975: cacheID:416975:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:3764:
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Mark Connolly
Read Next:
Dundee United defender Mark Connelly punished for breaching coronavirus regulations
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool1210112481631
2Manchester CityMan City127232217523
3Chelsea126422314922
4Arsenal126422112922
5Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton126422116522
6Tottenham HotspurSpurs1261527131419
7Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest125431513219
8Aston Villa125431919019
9Newcastle UnitedNewcastle115331311218
10Fulham125341717018
11Brentford125252222017
12Manchester UnitedMan Utd124441313016
13Bournemouth124351617-115
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham113351319-612
15Everton122551017-711
16Leicester CityLeicester122461523-810
17Wolverhampton WanderersWolves122372028-89
18Ipswich TownIpswich121651323-109
19Crystal Palace121561017-78
20Southampton121110924-154


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!