Southampton's previous captain urged to learn from the current one | OneFootball

Ivan Juric believes Flynn Downes must instill a hardworking ethic similar to Jan Bednarek.

One of the biggest surprises from last week's away victory was Ivan Juric's Joe Aribo decision. Don't get me wrong, the athletic midfielder slotted in perfectly at centre back to close out the win.

Still, his changed role meant that the Saints lacked composure and vision in the middle of the park. In this scenario, a shrewd move would have been to bring a central midfielder to fill Aribo's void at the base of the midfield.

Observing the Southampton squad, there is a midfield specialist who has flourished in passing and game progression. That player is Flynn Downes, who was the club captain and an integral starter a few months ago.

Thus, it doesn't seem wise to exclude him from the matchday squad, let alone bench him. Agreed, he hasn't played well recently but his continued omission has ignited the idea of a possible conflict with Ivan Juric.

Southampton's previous captain urged to learn from the current one

Honestly, this is an unexpected turn of events considering James Bree's dressing room verdict. Now, Juric has himself stepped up to clarify Flynn Downes's scarce first team involvement.

After the 1-0 Burnley defeat, Ivan Juric revealed that Downes dreamt of a January exit from St. Mary's. Yet, the club kept hold of him and this has made him unmotivated in the past few days.

Further, Juric encouraged the latter to seek current captain Jan Bednarek as a good example in this regard.

As quoted by the Daily Echo, Juric said: "(He stayed) playing the games, and then the club decided not to sell him, and sometimes the players don't behave very good."

Some fans might argue that Southampton should have granted him a leave if Downes was adamant to depart. Still, nothing can be done now and the midfielder will have to at least wait until the summer to fulfill his wish.