Saints Marching
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Southampton: Saints Marching’s 2018/19 Emerging Player of the Season

By Marc Walker

SOUTHAMPTON, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 30: David Silva of Manchester City battles with James Ward-Prowse of Southampton and Yan Valery of Southampton during the Premier League match between Southampton FC and Manchester City at St Mary's Stadium on December 29, 2018 in Southampton, United Kingdom. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)
SOUTHAMPTON, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 30: David Silva of Manchester City battles with James Ward-Prowse of Southampton and Yan Valery of Southampton during the Premier League match between Southampton FC and Manchester City at St Mary's Stadium on December 29, 2018 in Southampton, United Kingdom. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images) /
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SOUTHAMPTON, ENGLAND – MARCH 09: Jan Bednarek of Southampton celebrates his sides second goal during the Premier League match between Southampton FC and Tottenham Hotspur at St Mary’s Stadium on March 09, 2019 in Southampton, United Kingdom. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)
SOUTHAMPTON, ENGLAND – MARCH 09: Jan Bednarek of Southampton celebrates his sides second goal during the Premier League match between Southampton FC and Tottenham Hotspur at St Mary’s Stadium on March 09, 2019 in Southampton, United Kingdom. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images) /

Ryan Borowski – Jan Bednarek

Since a certain North American country decided not to qualify for this past World Cup, I decided to throw my weight behind the country were my Great-great-grandparents came from and where a Southampton defender by the name of Jan Bednarek, and my choice for best emerging player, was representing.

Watching our young Polish defender represent his country on the world’s biggest stage was a delight and I was fired up to watch him play for the club the upcoming season.

My hopes were quickly crushed when Bednarek could not even sniff the pitch under Mark Hughes and I thought he was going to waste away on the bench all season. But once Hughes was out and Hasenhuttl was in, the Pole got his shot at starting and did not disappoint.

He quickly showed off how talented he is, making heroic tackles and goal-saving clearances with ease, and the fans adored him for it. Now that he looks like he is going to be an important part of the team moving forward I am excited to see the numbers he puts up in a full Premier League season.