Lyanco could be set to be given more playing time after a slow start to life at Southampton, according to the Sun journalist Tom Barclay.

The central defender made the move to St Mary's from Italian side Torino late in the summer transfer window.

What's the latest news involving Lyanco?

It is understood that Southampton succeeded in fending off interest from Udinese and Premier League rivals Watford as they won the race for the 24-year-old by forking out £6.4million.

But Lyanco has been forced to bide his time on the south coast as he was made to wait until last month before making his top flight debut with a late substitute appearance against Watford.

The Brazilian then climbed off the bench for the second Premier League clash in succession when he entered the fray against Aston Villa just before the international break.

Lyanco's increase in opportunities has come despite Saints boss Ralph Hasenhuttl claiming the recent arrival is a "long-term project" and will have to follow in the footsteps of fellow defender Mohammed Salisu, who was also forced to bide his time after his switch to St Mary's last year.

In total, Lyanco has played 198 minutes of football since his switch to St Mary's, with his only starts coming against Sheffield United and Chelsea in the Carabao Cup.

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What has Tom Barclay said about Lyanco?

Barclay believes Hasenhuttl's trust in Lyanco is growing and that was emphasised by his appearance against Villa earlier this month.

The journalist reckons the Brazilian may start to benefit from even more opportunities.

Barclay told GIVEMESPORT: "Villa changed their system at half-time, went 4-4-2, Leon Bailey went up the middle and they really did start to have an impact and start to put Southampton under pressure.

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"Hasenhuttl responded to that by bringing on an extra centre-back in Lyanco. I just thought he clearly feels like he's ready for a very pressurised game in the Premier League, so maybe he will be more involved than we thought he would be earlier in the season.

"I think we were just looking at how Salisu took forever to get into the team last year and thought it would be the same.

"Maybe that won't be the case with Lyanco."

Why were Saints so keen to win the race for Lyanco?

Lyanco headed to Southampton having already shown his credentials in the Italian top flight, with him making 59 Serie A appearances during his time on the books of Torino and Bologna.

He also played for Brazilian giants Sao Paulo during the early stages of his career, featuring more than 20 times.

Lyanco has gone on to be capped nine times by the Brazil under-23s as well.