RALPH Hasenhuttl will be pleased to see Will Smallbone making an instant impact on loan at Stoke City, revealing “it was not so easy” to sanction his exit this summer. The Republic of Ireland under-21s star was one of Hasenhuttl’s top performers during the pre-season tour of Austria, before his move to Stoke was confirmed on July 23.
Ralph hasenhuttl said: “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.”
Summer addition Romeo Lavia, just 18 years old but one of Saints’ best players in their Premier League opener, already adds depth to stalwarts Oriol Romeu and James Ward-Prowse, as well as £12million Frenchman Ibrahima Diallo. After making just four Premier League appearances last season, following his recovery from an ACL injury, the decision was made to allow Smallbone the opportunity to find regular minutes. The youngster is well liked and has some of the best ball-playing abilities in the group, but a Championship season could help him bulk and prepare for the task of a Premier League breakthrough.
Ralph Hasenhuttl added: “For young players especially, it is important to get some game-time, and that’s why we agreed to the loan.
At the weekend,
Will Smallbone said: “I loved it out there. I wanted to come out on loan and play some games, and I had the opportunity to do that (Saturday), and it was fantastic. I am so grateful to the manager and the club for giving me this opportunity and naturally I want to make the most of this and repay their faith in me. This is a great group of lads and it has been so easy for me to settle in here – I felt really comfortable out there, I enjoyed it but there is a lot more to come.”
Smallbone could be in action again for Stoke tonight when they travel to League One Morecambe, in the first round of the EFL Cup. There, he could face fellow Saints loanee Caleb Watts.
