RALPH Hasenhuttl admitted Tino Livramento’s ACL injury is “a big setback for him” but insisted the youngster can take confidence in his recovery knowing “he is absolutely a Premier League player”.

The Saints boss had a clear message for the 19-year-old defender ahead of surgery and a lengthy rehabilitation process to get back onto the pitch at St Mary’s.

Hasenhuttl will hand over to the club’s supreme medical staff to look after Livramento, who suffered the serious knee injury during the 2-2 draw at Brighton on Sunday.

The former Chelsea talent immediately heard a big crack and signalled for the medical teams to offer assistance, while staff of Brighton and paramedics also entered the field with oxygen administered.

Daily Echo: Tino Livramento receives treatment at Amex Stadium (Pic: PA)Tino Livramento receives treatment at Amex Stadium (Pic: PA)

Livramento is expected to miss the rest of 2022 but Hasenhuttl identifies that, thanks to the World Cup being hosted during the winter in Qatar, there are two Premier League breaks in that time.

“It’s a big blow for him and for sure, also for us,” the Austrian said, ahead of the league clash with Crystal Palace on Saturday.

“There are not a lot of positive things you can take out of it, because it is a big setback for him. The good thing is, if you want, that he has had a very good first year for us and has shown that he is absolutely a Premier League player.

“This helps when you go into the rehab for such a long time, to come back even stronger hopefully. We have a strong team here to look after him, hopefully the surgery is perfect and then we have a lot of time to work with him.”

Daily Echo: Tino Livramento has made 32 appearances in his first senior season (Pic: Richard Crease)Tino Livramento has made 32 appearances in his first senior season (Pic: Richard Crease)

He continued: “If you want to take a positive thing, there is a lot of breaks in this time. We have the summer break and then the World Cup in the winter, but this is only small consolation for him.

“In the end, it is how it is – football is sometimes nasty. This movement didn’t look too bad from the outside but immediately he felt a crack, so he knew it was something serious. Now we know it and we have to handle it.”

Both James Ward-Prowse and Mohammed Salisu have vowed the group will come together and give Livramento all the support he needs, in interviews across the last week.

Will Smallbone, 22, who is now good friends with Livramento in the Saints squad, has spent much of the last two years sidelined with similar injuries – making his way back into the team this campaign.

Daily Echo: Academy graduate Will Smallbone made a knee injury return at the end of 2021 (Pic: Stuart Martin)Academy graduate Will Smallbone made a knee injury return at the end of 2021 (Pic: Stuart Martin)

“We had the same with Will who had also a long time out, and it’s definitely never easy for a young lad,” Hasenhuttl added.

“This group is fantastic, especially the staff is good organised here and we have a few guys who are really working hard with the players. Most of the time, they are coming back stronger.

“They work on their deficits, taking the time for working on your weaknesses and this is sometimes a positive thing you can take."

On the impact his teammates can make, Hasenhuttl added: "Especially in the beginning, a massive one.

"You could feel that the player is massively down. This is normal for a young lad – the first big injury in his life - that does something to you.

"It's not so easy to handle this but then you need definitely players around you that give you a few positive feedbacks and tell about their experiences, and that helps you definitely as the longer you are out the harder it is because the less contact you have sometimes. 

"But for Tino, I think it's good that he has his family around him here and not far away – he can go home to London and to have them around him and he lives in Southampton near some other players also so they will also have contact with him.

"That helps it definitely yes, and the rest you have to do as a club."

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