Southampton boss suggests bold Premier League rule change that would have dented Newcastle United's survival hopes

The Saints boss hit out at Newcastle United and the Premier League after the postponed match at St Mary’s Stadium on January 2. The game was postponed due to The Magpies not having enough players and will have to be rearranged.

Hasenhuttl called for more transparency regarding the decision to postpone matches and also suggested that players signed during the January transfer window – such as United’s new arrival Kieran Trippier – should be ineligible to feature in the rearranged fixture.

And in his latest pre-match press conference ahead of Southampton’s match at home to Brentford, Hasenhuttl made another bold statement related to postponed matches.

Several top-flight matches have been postponed due to Covid-19 over the past month but Southampton are one of the few sides yet to request a postponement.

“From our side, we have not cancelled one game this season,” Hasenhuttl said. “The situation would be different if when you had no squad it was 3-0 to the opponent, like with what happened to Tottenham in the [Europa] Conference League, then the games would be played – but this rule cannot be changed now.

"The Premier League is what it is now, some games can be cancelled. It is relatively clear that not everyone is happy with this situation.

"We're in a pandemic and it is a decisive factor at the moment, with quarantine, but this cannot last, the cancelling of the games cannot go on. Everyone is clear.”

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