Vestergaard should replace Hoedt after impressing in EFL Cup

Add as preferred source on Google

Southampton may have crashed out of the EFL Cup last night but there was one major positive to take out of the game.

For the first time in a while, Southampton looked solid at the back and they kept a clean sheet in 120 minutes of football.

It took penalties to knock Southampton out after Leicester City couldn’t break through the tight defence.

And it is no coincidence that Jannik Vestergaard’s recall to the side brought about a defensive improvement.

The towering 6ft 7in man mountain was impossible to beat in the air and he was strong in the tackle.

Vestergaard has had a slow start to life on the south coast since his summer switch from Borussia Monchengladbach.

But after a solid and assured defensive display in the cup, it is time for the 26-year-old to step up.

The Denmark international should replace Wesley Hoedt, 24, who has been out of sorts this season.

Hoedt and Maya Yoshida are Mark Hughes’ preferred central defenders but Vestergaard has surely jumped ahead of the Dutchman in the pecking order.

Southampton are stuck in the relegation zone at the moment and Hughes is fighting to keep his job alive.

But bringing Vestergaard back into his Premier League line-up would shore things up defensively for the Saints.