Jan Bednarek putting his body on the line against Manchester United (Pic: PA Images / Martin Rickett)
JAN Bednarek revealed the reason for his half-time substitution at Old Trafford, with the Polish international revealing his withdrawal which was largely a precaution.
Saints produced a creditable draw away at Manchester United on Saturday, with Che Adams’ canceling out Jadon Sancho’s first-half opener.
There was mild confusion from Saints’ fans as Bednarek was removed at half-time, with Jack Stephens entering the fray in his place.
Whilst some speculated that the switch was for tactical reasons, the 25-year-old stated the switch was made after feeling tightness in his quad.
Earlier on in the campaign, Bednarek had previously been sidelined by a calf injury, missing the 1-1 draw with Brighton back in December.
Bednarek stated: “I had an issue with my quad, but it was just tightness and we didn’t want to risk anything to be out for a longer period of time.”
With fellow centre-half Lyanco out for some length of time with a hamstring injury, the absence of Bednarek would have again left Saints with just two fit central defenders for the visit of Everton.
However, the former Lech Poznan man was quick to reassure fans that he should be available for the weekend.
“So I am hoping that I will be fine for Saturday,” he added.
Saints were handed another boost in terms of player availability after Nathan Redmond returned to training this week. The former Norwich and Birmingham winger had missed the games with Tottenham and Manchester United due to an ankle knock.
