Southampton boss admits 'it was not so easy' to agree Stoke City transfer

Ralph Hasenhuttl admits it was through gritted teeth that he sanctioned a loan exit for Will Smallbone this season.

Smallbone, aged 22, has joined Stoke City for the season as he tries to get his first regular taste of senior football, having found a blocked pathway to the first team at Southampton.

He had impressed in pre-season on the south coast but was allowed to move north in the week before the Championship got going, making his debut from the bench at Millwall before his first start in a 2-0 home win over Blackpool.

Hasenhuttl told the Daily Echo: “I hope to see him playing a lot. To be honest, it was not so easy to say, ‘You can go’.

“He had a good pre-season and especially in this shape on the eight, he was a player who showed his qualities – so it was really not so easy to say, ‘Okay, we will let you go’.

“But it is still tough to get a chance to play here, there are some good players waiting to play on this position so it is not so easy for him.”

Southampton's midfield department is crowded, with summer signing Romeo Lavia joining James Ward-Prowe, Oriol Romeu and Ibrahima Diallo. The Daily Echo hints that Southampton "typically reserve a January recall option on their loans".

Hasenhuttl added: “For young players especially, it is important to get some game-time, and that’s why we agreed to the loan."