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Southampton: Youngsters impress as Saints beat Shrewsbury in FA Cup

ByMarc Walker|
SOUTHAMPTON, ENGLAND - JANUARY 19: Caleb Watts of Southampton and Josh Vela of Shrewsbury Town during the FA Cup Third Round match between Southampton and Shrewsbury Town on January 19, 2021 in Southampton, England. Sporting stadiums around the UK remain under strict restrictions due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in games being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Matthew Ashton - AMA/Getty Images)
SOUTHAMPTON, ENGLAND - JANUARY 19: Caleb Watts of Southampton and Josh Vela of Shrewsbury Town during the FA Cup Third Round match between Southampton and Shrewsbury Town on January 19, 2021 in Southampton, England. Sporting stadiums around the UK remain under strict restrictions due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in games being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Matthew Ashton - AMA/Getty Images)

Southampton boss Ralph Hasenhuttl handed full debuts to five youngsters from the club’s academy as his side saw off Shrewsbury Town in the FA Cup on Tuesday.

Goals from striker Dan N’Lundulu – one of the full debutants – and club captain James Ward-Prowse claimed an eventual 2-0 win and move Saints onto a Fourth-Round clash with Arsenal on Saturday.

As team news was released pre-match, many Saints fans would have been wondering whether their side would be able to put in a solid performance as a collective with seven changes to the starting line-up.

They certainly did put in a display worthy of winning the game though and the new crop of academy talent did themselves proud.

Caleb Watts, Kegs Chauke and Dan N’Lundulu introduce themselves

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The debutant who made the biggest impression in the first-half was midfielder Caleb Watts – a former Australia Under-17 international. He was positioned as the left-sided attacking-midfielder in Saints’ line-up on Tuesday night.

What will have caught the eye of Saints fans is Watts’ positivity with the ball. He often picked the ball up in good areas and drove at the Shrewsbury defence after linking well with the central pairing of James Ward-Prowse and Ibrahima Diallo.

He was not afraid to put in a tackle either and looks to be a good fit for Ralph Hasenhuttl’s tactics.

Dan N’Lundulu worked hard all night as a striker and duly took the only chance that came his way when he put Saints ahead.

He showed superb awareness in the 17th minute to control the ball and shift it out of his feet quickly – opening up an angle to dispatch a confident finish inside the far post.

Despite not being involved in play so much otherwise, the way he took his goal shows that Saints have a striker of real potential to work with.

Kegs Chauke was the other starting debutant and was positioned on the opposite flank to Watts as the right-sided winger.

The 18-year-old was perhaps the quietest of the three starting youngsters but kept his play simple, was economical in possession and fit well into the team’s system, which is all you can ask for on such an important day for him.

Further debuts from the bench came for Alex Jankewitz and Ryan Finnigan. Both will be hungry for more first-team minutes after late introductions on Tuesday.

Good performances were also seen from Yan Valery, Jake Vokins and Ibrahima Diallo – all considered first-team players now despite their youth and all three will provide valuable options in their position over the next month.

Diallo in particular continues to impress in the absence of Oriol Romeu and played like a seasoned pro despite having just 65 senior appearances under his belt as a footballer and being 21 himself.