Ralph Hasenhuttl hopeful Southampton can now convince key men to stay

Ralph Hasenhuttl hopes Southampton’s key men will now feel they can wait a little longer before thinking about moving on to further their careers.

The Saints are on an upward trajectory following an unbeaten run of seven matches through all competitions, which has pushed them into the top half of the Premier League as well as the FA Cup quarter-finals.

Hasenhuttl takes his well-drilled squad to Aston Villa on Saturday, where they are set to come up against former striker Danny Ings, who left in the summer in a £30million deal.

Denmark defender Jannik Vestergaard also departed during August, joining Leicester.

While Hasenhuttl can understand the desire for a player to better themselves, the Austrian believes the outlook for a prolonged stay at St Mary’s should now appear much more appealing.

“It is not about was it the right or wrong decision letting (players) go. We were without alternatives with what we did in the summer, to be honest,” the Saints boss said.

“I think we have now a situation which is a very good learning atmosphere here at the moment, everybody improves, everybody has a positive effect. This is not something normally naturally given in this business.

“You have tough moments and we also had those here, where it is not so nice to be in this club. But at the moment you can feel that the team is growing and we are in a very good flow I think.

“That doesn’t mean that super-talented guys have to stay with us for the next 10 years. Everybody is ambitious and wants one time in his life to come to a top club.

“This is understandable, we always want to develop them. When they develop, we do as a club, then it is OK when they want to take the next step.

“But I always say ‘be very careful when is the right moment’