Boufal could cause problems for Premier League defenders – Southampton’s Bednarek

Southampton defender Jan Bednarek believes Sofiane Boufal could help the team with his qualities in the 2019-20 season.

Boufal spent last season on loan at La Liga side Celta Vigo, where he returned three goals and contributed three assists in 35 league matches.

Although he is attracting interest from French Ligue 1 clubs this summer, the Morocco international seems to be in Ralph Hasenhuttl's plans for the upcoming season.

Following his outing at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations, Boufal joined the rest of his teammates in time for their pre-season training tour and scored a goal in their 3-1 win over Feyenoord.

After seeing a glimpse of the Moroccan’s mesmerising dribbling skills, Bednarek admitted the 25-year-old could give defenders in the English top-flight a tough time.

“You need to be ready because he can do anything that he wants. You need to keep your legs shut so that you don’t get nutmegged,” Bednarek told the Daily Echo.

“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.

“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 will be hoping to get some playing minutes under his belt when Southampton kick-off their Premier League campaign with a visit to Burnley on Saturday.