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If you asked Southampton supporters now who their player of the season is, you would expect a large majority to say Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg. However, one stat proves he still has a lot of improving to do.

Captain fantastic

From a leadership and sheer determination point of view there is no doubt that the Dane is one of the top performers on the pitch, and there is also no question that he is currently playing his best football in a Saints shirt.

The winner in the crucial 1-0 victory away at Brighton and Hove Albion on Saturday was his fourth in 26 appearances in all competitions this season, and is a marked improvement on the single one he managed in 63 previous outings for the south coast outfit following his switch from Bayern Munich.

The Denmark international looks stronger, fitter and is now making an impact at both ends of the pitch, and manager Ralph Hasenhuttl clearly feels that he is the example for the rest of the players to follow having allowed him to keep the armband on a permanent basis.

Surprise stat

While Southampton fans love to wax lyrical about their skipper, he certainly isn’t perfect on the pitch still – as one stat shows.

When you think about players that have been dribbled past by an opponent the most, you would naturally assume that it might be a centre-back or a full-back if they are coming up against tricky wingers or speedy strikers.

Instead, Hojbjerg and midfield partner Oriol Romeu share that honour (1.5 per game as per WhoScored) in the Premier League this season.

Yes, the 23-year-old is obviously a key player in the centre of the pitch, but the next big improvement he needs to make is to ensure that it isn’t so easy for opponents to take the ball past him.

It is a key area where teams can get punished – in the top tier particularly – and he needs to be much harder to beat in future.