Journalist claims £9m-rated Southampton ace 'will' start v NUFC pending one condition

Journalist Tom Barclay has claimed that if Mohammed Salisu is fit to play tonight, he will feature for Southampton.

Salisu has been a first-team regular at the heart of the Saints defence this season, featuring 25 times in the Premier League, according to Transfermarkt.

Salisu has missed the last two games with a hamstring injury, but could be set for a return to action tonight against Newcastle United at St Mary’s.

Barclay told GiveMeSport that it will be a “huge boost” if Salisu can play tonight for Ralph Hasenhuttl.

He said: “I think Salisu will definitely come back in if he’s fit. There was a question mark about that in the presser. Ralph said Salisu, we will have to have a look, so it seems like it’s questionable whether he will or not, but it will be a huge boost if he does come back in.”

TIF Thoughts on Tom Barclay’s comments…

22-year-old Salisu, who is valued at £9m (as per Transfermarkt), has been superb for Southampton this season, and in his last two games in the Premier League, he has been awarded player ratings of 7.5 and 7.3, as per SofaScore, so can continue his fine form if he returns to the strating XI tonight.

Southampton missed their defender on Saturday when they lost emphatically against Aston Villa 4-0. Jack Stephens replaced the Ghanaian alongside Jan Bednarek and was awarded just a 6.4 rating by SofaScore.

Salisu signed for Southampton from Real Valladolid in 2020 and played a sporadic role last campaign for the Saints as he made just eight starts in the Premier League, but this season, he has been pivotal to Hasenhuttl’s side as they currently sit in the top half of the Premier League.

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