Romeu Hails Second Chance With Saints

Oriol Romeu is looking to grasp his second chance at Southampton after being brought in from the cold by new boss Ralph Hasenhuttl.

The 27-year-old, who has made 91 appearances for the Saints since joining from Chelsea in 2015, dropped off the first-team radar during Mark Hughes’ tenure at St Mary’s which saw him playing in the Under-23s side this season.

However, incoming boss Hasenhuttl handed Romeu his first start since October in last Saturday’s 1-0 defeat at Cardiff, which was the Austrian’s first official game in charge.

Romeu later revealed that he thought that his stint with Southampton was over with Hughes at the helm, but he is now looking to play a big part in the club’s battle to try and avoid relegation this season.

He told the Daily Echo: “As a professional, you always need to work hard and hope that when the chance comes, you take it.

“It seemed to me that it was impossible to get a chance a few weeks ago. The old manager had other things in mind.

“He probably didn’t like the way I played, or the way I was going about my daily things. “Every manager has his own ideas and his own way of doing things.”

He added: “Luckily, against Cardiff my chance came. I tried to do my best and help the team, but we didn’t win, and I am bitterly disappointed about that. “I am already looking forward to getting another chance.”