Southampton currently have a slight issue in terms of their depth in the left-back position.

Only Ryan Bertrand could be considered a senior option in the role at St Mary's right now, with 19-year-old Jake Vokins - who started, and scored in, the recent 2-0 FA Cup win over Huddersfield - another potential option.

Even midfield man Pierre-Emile Højbjerg has featured at left-back once this season.

However, Ralph Hasenhuttl has hinted that the teenage Vokins isn't quite ready yet, so the Saint could do with a fresh face in that area.

“Jake’s very, very forward oriented but the reverse gear sometimes takes a bit longer, especially the duels in defence are not always clinical and strong enough. It’s up to us to work with him and make him better and this is what we’ll do.”

Incidentally, two players - both from the Championship - have been linked, and they are vastly similar.

Who are they?

Well, Football Insider report that QPR left-back Ryan Manning is in Southampton's sights ahead of a potential swoop this month, with the Republic of Ireland man enjoying a fine campaign under Mark Warburton which has seen him score one goal and grab four assists.

The 23-year-old also makes 2.1 tackles per game and delivers 1.9 crosses per 90 minutes in the Championship.

Another left-back to be linked with the Saints - again reported by Football Insider - is Joe Bryan. The Fulham man has also scored one goal and registered four assists, although he makes 2.8 tackles and whips 0.7 crosses in per game.

The report states that the Cottagers have slapped a £7m asking price on the former Bristol City man's head.

Judging by these stats, the pair are quite similar in their roles.

Two reasons why Southampton should choose Manning over Bryan

While the pair are very alike in their work, there are two reasons why the Saints should opt for Manning instead of Bryan.

For a start, the QPR No.14 is three years younger than the 26-year-old Cottagers star, which means that Southampton will be making a better long-term investment by placing their faith in the former Galway United man.

Additionally, the 23-year-old's contract is set to expire on the 30th June of this year, which leaves the R's in a poor negotiating position and means Hasenhuttl could get the Irishman on the cheap this month.

It is for these two reasons why Southampton should look towards the Kiyan Prince Foundation Stadium rather than Craven Cottage in their hunt for a new left-back - Manning's age and contract situation just edges him ahead of Bryan in this tightly-fought statistical comparison.

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