‘Che has Scot what it takes!’
SOUTHAMPTON BOSS Ralph Hasenhuttl reckons in-form Che Adams has the potential to grace the world stage.
Whether that spells good or bad news for England – with next summer’s European Championship in mind – remains to be seen.
Scotland, who face the Three Lions at Wembley in the group stages, have tried twice – and failed twice – to persuade ex-England Under-20 star Adams, 24, to switch his international allegiances in search of senior action.
But with the Tartan Army now booked in for their first appearance at a major tournament since 1998, another call from Scots boss Steve Clarke could be tempting for the Saints striker.
Hasenhuttl refuses to get involved in players’ decisions on these matters and has no idea how Adams might react to such a Scottish carrot.
However, what is not in doubt, according to the Austrian coach, is that the St Mary’s hotshot – with three goals in his last four Premier League outings – could handle the step up if asked.
And he pointed to the impressive England form of fellow Saints pair
Danny Ings and James Ward-Prowse this season to justify the case.
Ahead of the clash at Wolves tomorrow night,
Hasenhuttl said: “Our team has shown that if you perform well in the Premier League, everything is open to you.
“We have two internationals with England now and a lot of other international players in our squad.
“The most important thing is that Che still develops his game.
“He’s made a big step forward this season after a tough first one.
“But he never stopped working hard and this is his secret of being successful.
“We’ll definitely give him the support he wants and then it’s about him.
“He just has to be focused on his work here and international football can be the bonus on top.”
Hasenhuttl has likened high-flying Saints briefly sitting at the Premier League summit a fortnight ago to the way fellow Austrian Dominic Thiem has broken into the top three of men’s tennis. “I know Dominic well. He’s a Chelsea fan,” said a smiling Hasenhuttl. “I tried to invite him here but then it was the pandemic so it didn’t work.
“I’m always following his development. It’s amazing the progress he’s made and there are some comparisons.
“If you want to develop, you need to play big teams and big players, to see how good they are and then to learn to adapt your game. This is what Dominic did also.“