Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhuettl says he is more worried about whether top scorer Armando Broja will be fit to play in Wednesday’s Premier League match at Tottenham Hotspur than about his own retirement when his Saints contract ends in 2024.
Broja, who has scored seven goals this season, was forced to come off during Southampton’s FA Cup win over Coventry City on Saturday because of a knee problem.
“He did not train yesterday, was not training on Sunday. We will have a look at how he is today. It’s possible he is available tomorrow. We don’t know yet, we want to give him time to recover and then we’ll have a look” Hasenhuettl told a news conference on Tuesday.
Brazilian defender Lyanco could be out for at least two months after suffering a hamstring injury in the same match.
Asked about recent comments to a German magazine in which he said he could retire, the Austrian manager said he was focused only on Saints’ coming matches.
“We speak about two-and-a-half years (ahead), so it’s quite a long time,” he said. “If you hired me today as a manager and I made two-and-a-half years in the job, then I would be very happy.
“The only thing is my contract is then over and it is possible I then stop. I don’t know,” he said.
Southampton, who are 12th in the standings, have three matches in quick succession. On Saturday, they are away to Manchester United, who beat them 9-0 in February last year. On Feb 19, they are at home to Everton.
“We are looking like having a chance in every game. We have shown this and we are comfortable in the way we are playing. We know how good we have to be to be able to take something from these games,” Hasenhuettl said.
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