Southampton journalist Dan Sheldon has been sharing his thoughts on Saints full-back Kyle Walker-Peters and the latest injury he picked up during their Premier League fixture against Wolves earlier this month.
This comes after Sheldon recently made an appearance on the Total Saints podcast where he spoke about a number of topics concerning the club.
On the subject of Walker-Peters, who was substituted off during the second half of the game against Wolves after just returning from a thigh injury and ultimately hasn’t featured for the club since, Sheldon had this to say on the situation. (15.49)
He said: “It’s really brutal for Ralph. I think every time he’s met with a bit of good news, it’s ‘oh great, brilliant, now what?’
“I don’t think he’s totally innocent again, because he played Kyle Walker-Peters in back-to-back games. He didn’t need to play Kyle Walker-Peters in those two games in a row. He could have played Kayne Ramsay, who they’ve just give a new contract to, he didn’t have to play Kyle. So, I think there’s probably more could have been done on preventing Walker-Peters from picking up another injury.”
Southampton signed Walker-Peters on a loan deal from fellow Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur before signing him on a permanent deal in the previous summer transfer window for a fee of £11.97 million.
Overall, the 23-year-old, who is currently valued at £13.5 million, has made 32 appearances for the Saints in which he has managed to provide two assists along the way (per Transfermarkt).
TIF Thoughts on Dan Sheldon’s comments on Walker-Peters and his latest injury…
Given how Walker-Peters has been one of Southampton’s top performers in the Premier League so far this season with an overall season rating of 7/10, making him their third-highest rated player, it’s understandable why Hasenhuttl put the defender back in the team to face Wolves in the league after just returning from his previous thigh injury.
Is Kyle Walker-Peters Southampton's best defender?
Yes
No
Moving forward, given how important the Englishman has been for Southampton so far this season making 2.9 tackles per game and 1.5 interceptions per game, the club will be hoping to see him make a full recovery as soon as possible and then manage him back into the team carefully so he doesn’t fall to another injury.