Manager of English Premier League side, Southampton, Ralph Hasenhuttl, believes Ghanaian defender, Mohammed Salisu, is the future of the club.

The 21-year-old centre-half is a summer transfer window purchase from Spanish La Liga club, Real Valladolid, but is yet to feature in any game for the Saints since the move.

Hasenhuttl says he needed familiarity in his team to face Fulham on Saturday when an opportunity came for him to start Salisu in the absence of injured regular centre-back, Jannik Vestergaard.

“For me, it was important [against Fulham] that I brought in a player who knew immediately what he was doing,” said Hasenhuttl.

“When you have three changes in the team, you need to have as much automatism as possible.

“I am sure Salisu could also play well, but it is important not to have too many changes and to keep our shape so that the players know exactly what they’re doing and I think we made the right decision.

“Salisu is the future of this club. It will take time. We know how long it takes for some players to step into the team,” he added as he chatted to HampshireLive.

“He has so much potential and [at Fulham] it was more important for me, as I said, not to unsettle the team. It would have been difficult, I think.

“I am ready happy that Sali is here, and he shows to me in every session that he can help up.”

Salisu had to deal with an injury setback at the start of the season since the £10.9m move and only featured in squads five match days ago.