Jack Stephens: Southampton must extend Ryan Bertrand's contract | OneFootball

Since first arriving on loan in summer 2014, Ryan Bertrand has been a talisman at Southampton, with the Champions League-winning defender featuring a total of 223 times for the Saints.

However, his future is currently up in the air as his contract is set to expire this summer and is one of two Southampton players who are currently in discussions over long-term deals, along with star striker Danny Ings.

After Southampton tied down Stuart Armstrong, James Ward-Prowse, Oriol Romeu, and Jan Bednarek, the Saints are keen to keep hold of Bertrand and Jack Stephens believes that keeping him at the club is a no-brainer.

“First of all, Ryan is a fantastic footballer and I think it goes under the radar how good he is. Not many people talk about the impact he has on this team,” said Stephens, speaking to HampshireLive.

“He is just so laid back and that can be looked upon in a negative way but to play alongside him, against Liverpool he was outstanding.

“Nobody spoke about [Mo] Salah. Nobody spoke about how quiet he was. That was all down to Ryan’s defensive ability and how he went about his business. More often than not, he’s on top of his winger.

“We all love the squad and the group that we have here. We have good relationships and the more that players commit their future to the club the better it is for everyone.”

Bertrand and the rest of the Southampton squad are currently preparing to face Leicester City this Saturday before they finally take on Shrewsbury Town next Tuesday in their FA Cup third-round clash.