Real Football Man All of the Football, All of the time
For Southampton fans the annual Summer purge of their star players must be incredibly frustrating but they seem to be able to regenerate their squad each time with ease. Not only that but it seems to be with no real detriment to performances on the pitch, the reason for this constant transformation is due to the conveyor belt of talent that continues to come through their youth academy. An academy that has already spawned the likes of Gareth Bale, Theo Walcott and Alex-Oxlade Chamberlain sees no signs of easing up any time soon as the next crop of Southampton youngsters begin to break into first team action at St Mary’s. Let’s now take a look at five of the next generation of Southampton starts.
Matt Targett
A player who is just as adept at playing at left back as he is left Wing Matt Targett is already developing into a steady hand at just the age of 21. The youngster who has been on Southampton’s books since the age of 8 made his Premier League debut back in the 2014-15 season after injury to first choice left back Ryan Bertrand. That season saw him feature in 6 league matches during Ronald Koeman’s first season in charge and from there his career has gone from strength to strength. Once again injuries meant that Targett was called upon last season and he played more of a prominent role in Southampton’s previous campaign with 14 appearances to his name. The youngster who had represented Scotland’s Under 19’s then made the transition to England’s Youth setup. After going through the ranks he has been a feature of England’s Under 21 side and was in the squad which won last Summer’s Toulon Tournament. This versatile youngster is a key addition to Claude Puel’s squad and that versatility will see him pick up many minutes during the course of this season and beyond.
Sam McQueen
This left sided winger first made his debut for the Saints back in 2014 but it’s only until this season where McQueen’s time in the first team has come to the fore. After a loan spell at Southend last season McQueen has patiently waited for first team opportunities and Claude Puel has been the man to give him the chance to show what he can do in the top flight. The 21 year old made his debut back in October in the club’s 3-1 win over Burnley and his input was incredibly positive as he managed to win a penalty which all but wrapped up his side’s win over Sean Dyche’s men. Since then he has made that first team berth his own on the left hand side with 10 appearances across all competitions. His performances are earning rave reviews and rightly so. With each appearance McQueen has grown in stature and he is certainly repaying the faith that Claude Puel has shown in him.
Josh Sims
What a way to introduce yourself to the big stage. Before the game with Everton last month everyone was asking ‘Who is Josh Sims?’ when his name was included in the starting line up but by the end of the game there was no forgetting who this young man is. It took just 48 seconds for Sims to make his impact in the Premier League after assisting Charlie Austin for the only goal of the game. He may not have known too much about it but he certainly was not going to forget that moment in a hurry. It may have been his debut but the way he played in that game you would have thought this was someone who had played for the club for over a decade. The stats from that performance say it all, a staggering 95% pass completion rate made a lot of people sit up and take notice that afternoon. Since that incredible debut his has been used sparingly with substitute appearances against Crystal Palace and Arsenal but it seems as if Claude Puel is cleverly managing his game time for a player whose career prospects look incredibly promising.
Jake Hesketh
Another of the young crop of players coming through the ranks at Southampton is Jake Hesketh. The 20 year old from Attacking Midfielder from Stockport is yet to make his Premier League bow this season but he has already been handed a taste of the top flight by Ronald Koeman back in the 2014-15 season. That campaign saw Hesketh make his debut against Manchester United as a substitute for Dusan Tadic and days later he would make his first ever start for the club against Burnley. Since then Hesketh has found his route to the first team blocked but that’s not to doubt the promise that this youngster has due to the fact that he has already lifted silverware for the club. Hesketh was a key member of the 2015 side that won the U21 Premier League Cup for Southampton which with the amount of talent that seems to be produced on the South Coast that’s no real surprise.
League action may have evaded him this season but he has featured in the EFL Cup, his goal back in September secured a third round win over Crystal Palace and if he is patient enough then a run out in the top flight can only be around the corner.
Harrison Reed
Southampton seem to be packed to the rafters with young midfield talent as of late and another player who falls into that category is Harrison Reed. The 21 year old from Worthing in Sussex was also a member of the 2015 U-21 Premier League cup winning side and already has 14 Premier League appearances under his belt. Reed was given his Premier League bow under Mauricio Pochettino back in the 2013-14 season but the bulk of his game time has come under the helm of previous Saints boss Ronald Koeman. Koeman’s first season in charge saw Reed given 9 Premier League outings and 1 F.A. Cup runout.
The England U-19 and U-20 international hasn’t quite matched the same level of activity over the past two seasons with just the solitary league showing but he is still highly regarded by the Southampton hierarchy and will be looking to be given a first team opportunity in the near future.
