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Southampton: Maya Yoshida’s POTM nomination is a sign of his professionalism

By Chris Hughes

STOKE ON TRENT, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 30: Maya Yoshida of Southampton celebrates scoring his side's first goal during the Premier League match between Stoke City and Southampton at Bet365 Stadium on September 30, 2017 in Stoke on Trent, England. (Photo by Jan Kruger/Getty Images)
STOKE ON TRENT, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 30: Maya Yoshida of Southampton celebrates scoring his side's first goal during the Premier League match between Stoke City and Southampton at Bet365 Stadium on September 30, 2017 in Stoke on Trent, England. (Photo by Jan Kruger/Getty Images) /
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Southampton will soon announce their October player of the month – among the nominees are Maya Yoshida.

This comes just a month after the Saints spent a club record fee for a defender in the form of £15 million for Wesley Hoedt. Over the course of that time Virgil van Dijk – who is valued as highly as £60 million – has also returned to the starting XI.

Whilst neither of the two Dutchmen were ever really in the running for Player of the Month, Yoshida’s nomination shows how much of a model professional he is.

A lot of footballers in the modern game would become disheartened by a new big-money arrival, especially as the majority of Southampton fans were keen for him to play alongside Yoshida’s partner-in-crime, Jack Stephens.

However he has instead relished the competition and has remained in the starting XI on all bar one occasion, even grabbing himself a goal in the loss to Stoke at the tail end of last month.

LONDON, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 16: Maya Yoshida of Southampton wins a header during the Premier League match between Crystal Palace and Southampton at Selhurst Park on September 16, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 16: Maya Yoshida of Southampton wins a header during the Premier League match between Crystal Palace and Southampton at Selhurst Park on September 16, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images) /

The 29-year-old recently signed a new, three-year deal with the club to extend his stay beyond the five years he has already played for the Saints, which has seen him play various roles with differing game time.

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Despite this, the unorthodox and sometimes unpredictable Japanese international has cemented his status as a cult hero on the south coast, following his swift rise to first-team regular.

He has averaged five clearances and 83 percent passing accuracy for the season which is on par with any defender at the club, despite not been seen as having as much potential or ability.

Mario Lemina and a back-in-form Fraser Forster are both worthy shouts alongside Steven Davis for the POTM award, but Yoshida is my pick.

He’s yet to make a serious error and at times so far this season has mopped up the mistakes of others, something which seems a stark contrast to what he used to be like in his early days in the Premier League.

Yoshida’s performances over the last month show what a true professional footballer he is, as he continues to give Mauricio Pellegrino a serious selection headache at the back going into some important games this month.