Chelsea ace Timo Werner has said that Ralph Hasenhuttl helped develop him into the world-class forward he is today and is looking forward to a reunion with the Southampton boss.
Both forward and coach arrived at RB Leipzig in the summer of 2016, and while Werner remained for four years, Hasenhuttl departed after just a couple of seasons.
The 53-year-old, however, had a defining influence on Werner’s career, having talked the young forward into switching to Leipzig from Stuttgart.
“I talked a lot to Hasenhuttl before moving to Leipzig,” he told Chelsea’s official website . “He’s a very nice guy, very jokey, and from the first time we spoke to each other it was a good relationship.
“Leipzig was the next step for me, a different team with different possibilities. It was important for me when I left my hometown to be with a manager with a good idea of football and a good personality.
“He taught me a lot about pressing, and switching from defence to offence very fast when we win the ball back. That was really interesting and helped me a lot in my game. It gave me space for my movements and my strengths.”
He was also impressed with the man-management of the coach.
“Hasenhuttl was always a manager who stood behind his players,” he said. “He was not a guy who looked after himself. He was always there for me when I needed help, or when he was asked about me in front of the media, he always stood by me and gave me support.
“That was really good for me to have a manager like this, and the sporting director Ralf Rangnick. Both gave me the feeling I was not alone in this situation. It allowed me to concentrate on my game and not worry about other things.”
For Werner, playing with that Leipzig side was a special time in his career due to the atmosphere around the team.
“The first season, everything clicked,” he reflected upon a campaign in which Leipzig finished second to Bayern Munich in the club’s first top-flight season.
“When we went out, every team member and I never had a feeling we could lose a game. We would go on to the pitch, and it didn’t matter if it was 2-0 to the others, we believed we could win at the end. It was the mentality we had and it was unbelievable.”
Chelsea have won seven points from their opening four Premier League matches of the season, with their sole defeat coming against Liverpool.