Southampton: Winger Sofiane Boufal’s 2019/20 season reviewed

Southampton winger Sofiane Boufal returned to the club ahead of the 2019/20 season and took up a role in Ralph Hasenhuttl’s squad.

The Moroccan spent last campaign on loan with Celta Vigo in Spain and showed glimpses of his talent – much like he had done at St Mary’s since joining Saints back in 2016.

A loan move away was caused by a bust up with former Saints boss Mark Hughes, but Ralph Hasenhuttl clearly saw something that he wanted in Boufal.

So far in the 2019/20 campaign, Boufal has made 24 appearances that have included 12 starts in league and cup.

With just half of his appearances coming from a place in the starting line-up, he is likely to be a little frustrated.

The 26-year-old is a confident man and backs his own ability all the time, but it is fair to say that he still hasn’t taken full advantage of the game time he has had.

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As an attacking-midfielder in Hasenhuttl’s 4-2-2-2 system, he will be judged on his creativity in terms of providing assists and weighing in with goals himself.

However, there still isn’t nearly enough of that coming from him at the moment.

Boufal has two Premier League assists to his name in 2019/20, with both coming in away trips to Brighton and Sheffield United early in the season.

His only goal of the campaign came in the FA Cup Fourth-Round tie against Spurs back in January and these numbers really are quite disappointing from a player with such ability.

Flashes of skill come every time he plays too, but they often result in nothing of note.

Boufal has won Saints a few games on his own in the past but has never been able to link those match-winning displays into a consistent run of form. Therefore, it will be interesting to see when Saints run out of patience.

It is almost like Boufal needs a certain amount of anger and something to play for to produce his best performances, and it’s still possible that he could be important for Saints if the club can find a way of motivating him.

There are plenty of young players who Hasenhuttl will be eyeing up to come and play his role in the team though so the winger’s time on the South Coast really is approaching a crucial moment.