The Athletic’s Dan Sheldon has revealed that Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhuttl had to ‘swiftly remind’ Armando Broja to work for his place when he joined the club.
Over the summer, the 20-year-old signed with the Saints on a season-long loan deal. In recent weeks, his quality has begun to show, as he has managed to score two goals in as many games.
Initially, however, the likes of Adam Armstrong and Che Adams were preferred over the man on loan from Chelsea.
While speaking on the Total Saints podcast, Sheldon has explained that, having come from such a big club, Broja had expected to start immediately – Hasenhuttl, though, was not prepared to give him a shot unless he earnt it.
Will Armando Broja be a hit for Southampton this season?
Yes
No
Sheldon said (20:02): “You can’t not be impressed, I think when he turned up he sort of had an arrogance in the way he played, without really kind of doing anything.
“Or you know he came in, he expected to be starting because he’d come from Chelsea on loan.
“And I think Ralph had to kind of swiftly remind him that that’s not quite the case and [say], ‘I want to see you putting effort in in training, if you do that you’ll play and you’ll start’.”
TIF thoughts on Armando Broja and Southampton…
Something evidently must have changed in Broja’s attitude as he has started in each of the club’s last two Premier League games.
Not only has he started in these matches, but he has also helped his team go unbeaten by scoring a goal in both of the matches. Considering his current form, it’s hard to see Broja dropping out of the team in the near future.
If he did arrive with a certain degree of arrogance, as Sheldon suggests, then it is to the credit of Hasenhuttl that he has got the best out of the young Albanian.
In other news: “End up with a gem like Van Dijk” – Carlton Palmer reacts to surprise Southampton transfer link