Ahead of the weekend, we reported on how Sunday’s fixture between Southampton and Arsenal may give the greatest indication yet, of Steven Davis’ availability in January.
The club captain had found himself left out of the match day squad the previous week. However, new manager, Ralph Hasenhuttl, now had the benefit of two weeks in the job with which to appraise his players.
Davis’ inclusion in the Austrian’s strongest XI would likely spell trouble for Rangers’ rumoured approach. Conversely, if once more excluded entirely, the door appeared wide open for a swoop.
However, neither of those things happened. Instead, the 33-year-old found himself on the bench.
Davis remains in limbo
Clearly, his efforts in training grabbed Hasenhuttl’s attention. Yet, it wasn’t enough to be reinstated to the starting line-up.
It proved to be a stunning performance from the Saints, defeating a red-hot Arsenal side 3-2.
Davis, however, remained on the bench throughout.
After such a big win, it’s unlikely that there will be much rotation for Huddersfield away on Saturday.
Therefore, the Northern Ireland captain is likely to reach Christmas with just a solitary Premier League start to his name this season.
It seems he is neither excluded from, nor a key part of his new manager’s plans. He will graft in training to try to change that, but he can’t let his club career stall indefinitely.
As a result, Rangers should be gearing up to table an early January bid.
