Shane Long has been pleased with his performances since returning from injury and is hoping he has done enough to retain a place in Southampton’s starting line-up.
Long, who returned from an ankle problem in last week’s 1-0 defeat to Stoke, led Saints’ attack against Manchester City yesterday, in the absence of the suspended Graziano Pellè.
The forward got his side’s goal in the 3-1 loss and was a threat to the home side on a number of other occasions at the Etihad Stadium.
With Wednesday’s Capital One Cup quarter-final now on the horizon, Long is hoping Ronald Koeman will keep him in his first XI.
“It was nice being back up front again and to give the gaffer a different option,” Long told youtube.com/southamptonfc.
“We'll see what happens next week. I feel good how I'm playing at the moment and hopefully I'm giving a bit of a headache to put me in the starting XI.”
Long added that the players are desperate to book a place in the semi-finals this week, as they seek a piece of silverware this season.
"We'll rest up, recover and look forward to a big game against Liverpool,” he said.
“We've got a big enough squad now to deal with a good cup run and that's what we want to do.
“Hopefully the fans at Southampton can go home smiling on Wednesday, looking forward to another big game on Saturday against Villa.”
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