OPINION
Southampton must act selfishly and hold on to Shane Long even though he is reportedly attracting attention from Aston Villa.
The Express & Star reported on Friday that the Villans had the 5ft 9in tall Saints attacker (Source: Transfermarkt) on their shortlist of options with them searching for a forward to take on loan for the season.
It’s likely that Long won’t get regular football at the Saints this season, despite featuring 35 times for his side in his 2017/18 campaign, due to the arrival of players such as Danny Ings.
Also the 31-year-old Republic of Ireland international didn’t have the best goal return in his last campaign as he only managed two goals in 30 league appearances so it’s understandable Mark Hughes needs to field more prolific forwards this season.
However while Long may have lost his eye for goal, his work-ethic as well as his ability to create space for his teammate by distracting his opponents with clever runs is valuable to his side.
This especially the case when he is brought on as a substitute as he is always capable of having a positive impact from the bench due to his tremendous attitude and determination.
Long didn’t feature in the Saints’ opening game against Burnley last weekend and it won’t be the last time he is absent from a matchday squad for his side this season.
Though Mark Hughes has revealed, as quoted by RTE, that he has told Long to “bear” with him as he will have played plenty of games if he sticks with the club come the end of the season.
This shows that the Saints boss is keen to use the experienced forward in some capacity this season and perhaps that Long was already showing signs over being concerned about his chances of featuring at the club.
The 31-year-old, at this stage in particular, no doubt wants to play as much football as possible and would probably be open to a move to the Villans as he would definitely become a regular fixture of their side.
Yet despite the move potentially being good for Long, the Saints must selfishly hold on to him and reject the interest in him as he can still benefit them in some capacity.