SAINTS boss Ralph Hasenhuttl insists it is “not a coincidence” to see young English talent thriving in Germany – but said mentality was also key to a player’s progress. The Austrian coach managed in the Bundesliga with RB Leipzig before joining up with Saints and giving a number of players first-team opportunities in England. England’s national team have two players in their Euro 2020 squad that have made a name for themselves in Germany. Having originally come through the ranks at Watford and Manchester City, Jadon Sancho’s form for Borussia Dortmund and England has earned him a big-money move to Manchester United this summer. Teenager Jude Bellingham has also impressed overseas, having joined Dortmund from Birmingham City. Asked whether he felt it could be beneficial for young English players to develop their game abroad,
Ralph Hasenhuttl said: “The most important thing for a young player is to play. It is tough to make the step to a Premier League team over here. For Southampton maybe it is a little bit easier because we have a lot of examples of those who made the step-through at this club. But at other clubs, it is not so easy. It is not so easy when they are spending £400m during a transfer window, then it is difficult for the young lads to step in. If then you do not have a chance to get in and you have an opportunity to go somewhere else and other countries and show up. If you have the quality, you can go and show it and then you can also come back. I think the target is always the Premier League because it is the best league in the world, everyone wants to play here. It is not a coincidence that the English players that go to Germany, immediately have a good impact. There are good players in Germany also in the youth, absolutely. We have fantastic players there, especially at Leipzig where we had some very good young players. The most important thing is the mentality. When you like to work harder than all the other do and when you like to work harder than everybody else then you have a bigger chance. That is much bigger than talent for me.”
