Mohammed Salisu joined Southampton from Real Valladolid back in the summer and Saints fans would have been looking forward to seeing the Ghanaian make his first appearances for the club.
However, a series of injury problems have limited his opportunities so far despite Saints viewing him as a big part of the long-term future.
Now – in a very open interview with Adam Blackmore of BBC Radio Solent – Saints CEO Martin Semmens has revealed why the young defender has been unable to make his debut in red and white to date and said:
"“He came to us with a medical issue – we knew he had it and knew he probably wouldn’t play until October time. From our perspective, we made that decision. We made that decision because we thought he was going to be a superstar in the future.“In November, he was getting on track but had a setback that pushed him into December – just when he was ready, just when he was training everyday and doing really well he picked up a muscle injury after the Fulham game in the warm down.”"
Salisu remains part of Saints’ long-term plan
Semmens also went on to say that Saints remain very happy with Salisu in terms of his part in the squad and the way he has adapted to Ralph Hasenhuttl’s style of play in training.
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Although not much is known about the specifics of Salisu’s injury, it is clear to see where his ongoing problem was picked up.
He broke into the Real Valladolid first-team during the 2019/20 season and played in every single league game up until June, but then it seems his issue started.
A run of five league fixtures between 20th June and 4th July saw him play twice but drop to the bench for the other three. He then missed the final four games of the campaign but has seemingly caught the eye of many clubs around Europe including Saints.
It is important to add Salisu’s age into the equation here. At just 20, he was playing constant senior football and turned 21 back in April.
A player at this stage of their career will still be adjusting physically to this level and may still be developing after their teenage years. There is no doubt that Salisu was crucial for Valladolid but it appears that the hectic schedule of La Liga games at the back end of last season caused him a significant injury.
A player of his quality was rightly promoted to senior level. Perhaps his body was not quite ready for such a heavy workload though.