Ralph Hasenhuttl insists he still trusts Yan Valery and hinted that the Frenchman could come back into the Saints team to face Chelsea tomorrow.

Valery was the poster boy for Saints and Hasenhuttl’s desire to play young players in the second half of last season as his form and potential encouraged the club to loan out Cedric Soares.

But things have been much tougher for Valery this campaign.

The 20-year-old featured in the first three games of the season but has since been out in the cold and was overlooked for the Saints side to face Tottenham despite the late drop out of Cedric Soares.

Hasenhuttl admitted that Valery needed some time away from the first team to work on his game but with Cedric set to miss the visit of the Blues to St Mary’s he could get a chance to impress again.

He said: “As you know I really trust in the young players and I gave a lot of young players the chance to play so far and it’s normal that you come maybe then in a situation where you are a little bit struggling and your performance is not the best one.

“You can feel he is making a little bit more mistakes in the sessions.

“That wasn’t the reason I didn’t pick him against Tottenham. The reason was that we had the chance to change the shape because we know the opponent does it also and we expected something different.

“The injury to Cedric gave me the chance to change the shape also because otherwise I would take him on the back four position on the right side.

“For him it’s important he trained this week very well and he knows now the moment will come where he comes back on the team.

“I don’t want to pick a young player when I feel he is not in the best shape but when I see he is getting better and more comfortable with the ball and making less mistakes I think then is the moment to give him another chance to play.

“He knows he can compete on the highest level and this is what he has to do in the future.”

All managers that play youngsters face difficult decisions regarding the correct time to put them in the team but also when to take them out if things take a dip while at the same time not destroying their confidence.

Hasenhuttl has managed young players with great success in the past but confessed it’s a difficult balance to strike.

“It’s not easy because it seems that you don’t trust them anymore but that’s not right,” he admitted.

“It’s why you have to speak a lot with them and my assistant coaches do the same. They are working very hard with him on his weaknesses and to make him sharp when the moment comes.

“I think Cedric did a very good job and then you are suddenly out and another guy plays very well and you have to wait for the next chance to come and grab it with both hands.”