Jan Bednarek thinks Sofiane Boufal is going to be a “problem” for Premier League defenders

Southampton defender Jan Bednarek couldn’t be more glowing about the ability and attitude of Saints winger Sofiane Boufal.

Boufal spent last season at La Liga side Celta Vigo and returned to Saints after he represented his country of Morocco at the Africa Cup of Nations in the summer.

French side OGC Nice have been linked with signing Boufal throughout the summer transfer window, but it seems Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhuttl doesn’t see Boufal as one of the squad’s expendable talents.

And it seems Bednarek fully agrees with that assessment.

“You need to be ready because he can do anything that he wants,” Bednarek said of Boufal. [H/T Daily Echo] “You need to keep your legs shut so that you don’t get nutmegged.

“Sofiane is a very good player. I think it’s really difficult to defend against him and I think he could cause a lot of problems for Premier League defenders.

“He is a positive person and a very funny guy. As you can see he has a lot of quality on the pitch and he can help us a lot.”

Bednarek thinks some of the players Saints received back from loan spells could benefit the team as competition for places in Hasenhuttl’s squad intensifies.

Dutch defender Wesley Hoedt spent last season with Boufal at Celta Vigo, while Portugues right-back Cedric spent half a year at Italian giants Internazionale.

“But we can say that about a lot of players that came back from being on loan – Cedric and Wesley [Hoedt].

“It can be a strength because they know the team and they are ready to help us and fight for a place in the starting XI.

“That’s how we are going to get stronger.”

Boufal had an extended break before heading to Saints’ pre-season training camps due to his international duty.

However, he has looked sharp in the Saints shirt so far, scoring on his return for the club in a pre-season against Feyenoord in July.

Many Saints fans would like to see what Boufal can do with competent coaching. Hopefully he sticks around if Hasenhuttl likes what he sees.