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Southampton 3-3 Schalke 04 pre-season analysis: Three key players

By Marc Walker

LONDON, ENGLAND - APRIL 22: Nathan Redmond of Southampton shows appreciation to the fans following The Emirates FA Cup Semi Final match between Chelsea and Southampton at Wembley Stadium on April 22, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - APRIL 22: Nathan Redmond of Southampton shows appreciation to the fans following The Emirates FA Cup Semi Final match between Chelsea and Southampton at Wembley Stadium on April 22, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images) /
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Southampton’s first pre-season game ended in a 3-3 draw with Schalke 04 in what was an eventful affair in China.

Schalke went ahead through Yevhen Konoplyanka after 21 minutes, but Nathan Redmond’s well-taken strike just before the break levelled things up.

A young Saints side emerged after the break following 11 changes, and academy product Harrison Reed put his side ahead for the first time shortly after the restart.

An accurate long-range effort from Schalke midfielder Suat Serdar made it 2-2, but Saints pulled ahead again after Jake Hesketh’s shot was deflected in. A thumping Steven Skrzybski would end the scoring six minutes from the end though.

Saints fans saw Stuart Armstrong in action for the first time in the first-half and saw 22 different players potentially involved for the upcoming season over the course of the 90.

Here are three key players from Mark Hughes’ side who impressed in the pre-season opener: