BOSS Ralph Hasenhuttl praised the "good job" done by Mohammed Salisu during Saturday's draw against Chelsea, adding: "He is a real defender."

Salisu made his first Premier League start, lining up at centre-back alongside Jannik Vestergaard, in the 1-1 stalemate against the Blues.

And the 21-year-old, who has had a wretched time with injuries since arriving at Saints last summer, produced an impressive display at St Mary's.

It was the Ghanaian's third appearance for the club, having played the full 90 minutes of this month's FA Cup win at Wolves, before coming on as a substitute against the same opponents in the league.

Asked for his assessment of Salisu's full Premier League bow against strong opposition in Chelsea, Hasenhuttl told the Daily Echo: "I think he did a good job.

"He is a real defender I think. That is what he shows and with the ball also, good game management.

"We didn’t play that much football I think. We can do it much more.

"But it was a lot of pressure on the ball and then it’s not so easy to be calm and find the right decisions. But I was happy with him him, definitely."