Southampton boss Ralph Hasenhuttl has no plans to make a permanent move for Takumi Minamino this summer.
The 26-year-old joined the Saints on loan on transfer deadline day back in February a bid to secure more game time.
And the forward has already managed more minutes for Saints during his eight weeks with the club than he managed during the first five months of the campaign at Liverpool.
Minamino has made six appearances for Southampton this season, scoring twice in the Premier League against Newcastle United and Chelsea.
Speaking to the media on Thursday, Hasenhuttl revealed his side entered into negotiations with loanee Theo Walcott in the hope of securing his services on a permanent basis.
The winger’s contract at Everton expires at the end of this season and Hasenhuttl is keen for the 32-year-old to remain with the club.
But when it comes to Minamino, Hasenhuttl has no plans to turn the Japan international’s current loan deal into a permanent deal this summer.
"It is never nice for a player when you don't end up getting the game time that you want to have, when you only train and are not see as part of the first 11," Hasenhuttl told HampshireLive.
"This definitely then helps your mentality when you later get a lift and a chance to play. Players like to join big clubs because they get a lot of money there and they get a lot of praise for being a part of the top six, if you will.
"But it is only for a short moment that you are happy about it because when you are not playing enough times and you are not important for the club, then it feels very awful, very quickly.
"The most important thing for him is that he gets a chance to play. We had so much rotation with injuries and everything that it was clear he would get a lot of game time with us.
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"At the moment, it is a little bit more difficult, I think, but we like his quality. He scored a few good goals for us so far. I am happy to have as an option."
Before he concluded: "We haven't had any negotiations about Takumi so far. We are not aware of what Liverpool's plans are for him in the summer.
"The deal was simply to give him game time during the second half of the year. This is what we have done and, hopefully, he will get more chance to play for us."
