Southampton want to bring in another full-back during the January transfer window, according to The Athletic's Dan Sheldon. 

Kyle Walker-Peters and Ryan Bertrand are Saints' right-back and left-back options respectively but Saints don't have a great deal of back up to either player, with Jack Stephens filling in at No.3 during the only Premier League game the latter has missed this season. 

Bertrand's form has hardly been noteworthy of late, however, with Whoscored issuing him an average performance rating of just 6.6 this season. 

In The Athletic's discussion thread for Southampton's Premier League clash with Manchester City, which they lost 1-0, one fan asked Sheldon for his thoughts on Bertrand while ruing the lack of competition at left-back currently. 

And Sheldon replied by revealing Ralph Hasenhuttl's side want to recruit another full-back when the transfer window opens next month. 

He said: "Southampton want to recruit another full back in next month - it's for all to see that they lack any real depth in that position. As you say, it will also be good to see both Walker-Peters and Bertrand have some competition."

GIVEMESPORT's Christy Malyan says...

Signing a new full-back is a must for Saints - it's the most obvious area of their squad that requires strengthening. Yan Valery and Jake Voskins are on the books but with the former the most senior at the age of 21, having to rely on either for an extended period of time could cause real problems for Southampton's defence. 

In any case, there's certainly an argument that Bertrand hasn't been the player who once featured regularly for England for a while now, and at the age of 31 perhaps now is the time to invest in a successor - someone who can learn the ropes from him in the second half of this season, and then next term become the first-choice no.3. 

Of course, whether such a player would be available mid-season is another matter, and it sounds like Southampton would ideally prefer someone who can play on both sides based on Sheldon's comments. 

Nonetheless, Saints need to address their full-back shortage sooner rather than later, or it could come back to bite them at the worst possible time.