Mark Hughes will consider giving young striker Michael Obafemi another Premier League chance against Watford today and insists Manolo Gabbiadini understands why he has been dropped for the 18-year-old.

Italian international Gabbiadini was left out of the matchday squad to face Manchester City last weekend with Obafemi, who signed from Leyton Orient in 2016, preferred, despite having just one previous top flight appearance to his name.

Obafemi was thrown on during the second half at the Etihad Stadium and showed great pace, and his performance was followed up by an international selection for the Republic of Ireland.

However, it was another dark day for Gabbiadini who has had a barren spell in front of goal and now fallen even further down the pecking order.

Hughes said: “I had a word before I made the decision. It was important he understood my decision.

“I told him I needed to see the young lad because he’s a player of blinding pace which is something we haven’t got a great deal of throughout the team so I had to find out if he could cope with coming on in a high profile Premier League game.

“Unfortunately for Gabbi he was the one who missed out on this occasion.

“He understood the thinking behind it and he might not agree with it but he understood the thinking behind it.”

Obafemi is contention for a first start as Saints host Watford at St Mary’s this afternoon desperate to get a win. If they fail it will be just one home league victory in a full calendar year.

“He’s in my thoughts, as they all are. I won’t say, ‘Yes definitely he’s going to start’.

“But I think he’s a kid who can have an impact. If he doesn’t start games, his ability to affect games with his pace and movement off the bench.

“He’s close, he’s doing OK. It’s the start of his career. If I feel he’s deserving of a starting position, then clearly he’s going to have to take it because there are good players who will feel they deserve another go at it.

“In fairness, I’ve tried all the guys up top, they’ve all had good opportunities. Maybe the young kid needs to be given the opportunity himself, as well.

“The fact that he’s a young a guy and has the innocence of youth, so to speak, sometimes that can allow him to play with a bit more freedom.

“That’s something we’re aware of and maybe something we tap into. Whether he’s the right choice for the weekend is down to me.”

Hughes is certainly refusing to play down the importance of today’s game, which has been likened to a cup final.

“Maybe we want it to be like that,” he reflected. “Then we’ll have that edge to our game that’s always important to have.

“You can be in a period where you think ‘we didn’t play too well there or we were unlucky there and next week we’ll be OK’.”