Thursday 31 October 2019 15:09, UK
Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhuttl has said that Nathan Redmond signing a new contract is a "good signal" for the club.
Redmond, who agreed a new four-year deal on Thursday, was voted the club's player of the season by both his team-mates and Saints supporters in 2018/19 after scoring nine goals in the final six months of the campaign.
And Hasenhuttl believes that this is a sign that the club are starting to build something successful.
"I think it's fantastic news for the club," he said.
"He showed last season that he can make the difference in our team.
"He gave a big signal to everybody else at the club that there's something growing here.
"If a player like this is staying longer at the club, he must be convinced of what we do and the way we work.
"If one of our best players from last season is convinced about that, it is a good signal. It's possible that he can stay here and not move immediately to a big club."
Southampton face Burnley in their opening Premier League game of the season on Saturday, and head into it after an unbeaten pre-season.
The Saints won four and drew one of their five friendlies, including victories against FC Koln and Feyenoord, but Hasenhuttl knows the domestic season provides a different challenge.
He said: "It's only the pre-season. It's nice that it worked well, it's nice that we were unbeaten. For the mental strength, it's good. We got good results.
"But there's no guarantee in the first game in the Premier League. That's something completely different.
"They showed that they can work together, they know what they have to do to get good balance together."
