Puel hails Romeu's efforts

The Spaniard took plenty of plaudits following his impressive performance in the 0-0 draw at Leicester City, but Saints boss Puel was keen to point out that his strong displays have extended much further back.

“He doesn’t play well just in this game,” he said. “Since the beginning of the season we have seen good play from him for the defence.

“In every match, he can play a fantastic game, because his quality is that of an excellent player.

Oriol Romeu

Defence stats

Tackles won

5/6

Clearances

1

Blocks

2

interceptions

3

See all stats

“He can recover the ball and that’s very important for us, because he gives a structure for the team.

“He’s very interesting with the ball and without the ball in front of the defence.

“He’s a very good character, a very good player, who works every time in the training sessions.

“I like this player, but I like all my players. They play with inspiration every time, they give their all and they listen also to develop their game, and this is important for the future.”