Jan Bednarek joined Southampton from Lech Poznań in 2017 and made five starts in the Premier League in his debut season.
This term, he played only 80 minutes across two appearances under Mark Hughes and for the most of this campaign, he wasn’t included in the match day squad.
However, it didn’t stop him from making it to the Poland squad for the international break and that was the only time he got regular minutes. The situation forced him to ask the Saints to let him go out on loan in January.
“Many people love football for being unpredictable. There were talks with the club about the loan [transfer], because I was aware that I cannot sit in the stands all the time,” Bednarek told Polish newspaper Przeglad Sportowy.
“I was assured that everything is great, that they are happy, but the player cannot be calm when he is not playing. I could only experience it by going to the national team because I was getting a chance.”
The 22-year-old’s fortune has changed after Ralph Hasenhuttl replaced Hughes in December and since then he’s made eight starts in the league.
Bednarek remains hopeful that if he ends up performing well, he will be rewarded with a move to a bigger club.
“I would be stupid if I was thinking about the transfer because I played eight games. I have to build my brand here and now, be a starting player for the whole season and only then, possibly, I can think about the next step,” he said.
“You cannot jump to another shelf immediately, because you will fall from it. If I follow these steps, it may be a consequence to go to a bigger club.
“It does not matter what will happen in a month, two or three. I do not bother thinking about it. The most important thing is that I play well and work hard. Maybe someday I will get a reward for it, today I do not know what yet, but some reward will come.”
