Jack Stephens named Southampton’s Player of the Month
By Chris Hughes
Young defender Jack Stephens has been rewarded for his stellar second half of the season, by being named the Saints’ best player for the month of May.
The candidates for Southampton’s Player of the Month for May were never really going to be attackers, as the side failed to find the back of the net in all four games they played in.
However they did keep clean sheets against two of the league’s top teams in Liverpool and Manchester United, earning a defender the accolade instead. That man was none other than 23-year-old Jack Stephens.
The young defender enjoyed a solid game against the aforementioned United, registering three interceptions and two clearances – a figure only rivaled by Oriol Romeu. Stephens also made 80 percent of his attempted passes, of which there was 54, the third most in the team.
Against Liverpool Stephens made a team-high seven clearances as the Saints’ kept out Liverpool’s onslaught of attacks, remaining defensively disciplined at the back in order to grind out the point.
He played the full 90 minutes in both of Claude Puel’s side’s other games, in losses to Stoke City and Arsenal.
Jack Stephens has been impressive since deputizing for the injured Virgil van Dijk in February, remaining part of the squad in all games bar one. His unorthodox partnership with Maya Yoshida has worked wonders at times, with defenders boasting good pace at the back.
He’ll end the season with 17 league appearances under his belt and just one yellow card, having boasted a solid pass success rate and 1.7 aerial duels won per match too.
He’s under contract for another two years but will likely be offered a fresh deal before the end of this calendar year, as reward for his solid efforts this campaign.