JAN Bednarek refused to spark a war of words with Manchester City’s Erling Haaland and insisted that he is not just focused on one player ahead of their battle this weekend.

Despite missing City’s last game against Liverpool with a groin injury, Haaland has since trained and is set to travel to St Mary’s to try to add to his 28 Premier League goals this season.

In an exclusive interview with the Daily Echo, Bednarek said: “I think every week we have to face a very good and strong striker, so I’m not really trying to think about it or focus on Haaland.

“I’m trying to focus on the opposition (as a whole). I need to focus on what I do in the game, but more importantly on how we perform and how we’re going to make it tough for them.”

The Norwegian talisman will look to pile on the misery for a Saints side who are winless in four and sitting bottom of the Premier League with just nine games still to play.

Bednarek reflected on last weekend's narrow 1-0 loss to West Ham, saying: “It’s a bit frustrating because fine margins decided the game.

"I think we controlled the game and possession, but we were not creative in the final third. We missed some vision in the last third, but again, set-pieces decided it.

"So we have to work on it, but the spirit is there - we believe we can get the result against City.”

Despite only being 26 years old, Bednarek is one of the most experienced players in young Saints dressing room, and the Polish centre-back now has six seasons of Premier League experience after debuting under Mark Hughes in 2018.

When asked about his senior duties behind closed doors, Bednarek called upon the younger players to show leadership too, saying: “I think every player needs to take their responsibilities.

"Not only the older players but the younger players as well. We are in the Premier League and the standards that we demand from each other are very high.

"We need to understand that just because someone is young, it doesn’t mean that they can’t do everything and play the best that they can. The older players try to help the younger ones, but we need the leadership and support from all of the players.”

Only five home games remain for Saints in the Premier League run-in, with St Mary’s playing host to Crystal Palace, AFC Bournemouth, Fulham and Liverpool after the City fixture.

Bednarek stressed the impact that the fans can have and called upon them to back the team through these tough fixtures, saying: “They are important for every game.

“We need backup from the fans, there will be tough moments, especially against a team like City, so we need our fans on our side and hopefully together we can win this game.”