Northampton Town sign Red Devils' prodigy Ethan Wheatley on loan before a Carabao Cup tie against Southampton.
Recently, Saints fans heard of Jay Rodriguez's fitness update, and surely, it has fancied Southampton's opening day hopes even more. And that's for fair reasons that initially tipped to face a few ex-Saints, St. Mary's faithful are now free from any favouritism dilemma, at least for the first Wrexham clash.
But while the Saints can now already count the Championship opener as a win, their fears have worsened for the games ahead. Primarily, for the second game of the season, in the Carabao Cup knockout against Northampton.
That's because, if the previous AI predictions had the Saints fans cautious, Northampton's recent performances have them worried even more. And while initially, it felt like an uneven battle in Southampton's favour, it stands much more even now.
Guess what? If the matchday balance wasn't striking the halfway mark perfectly, Northampton Town have made a huge leap in making it so.
Enter, Northampton's latest signing of forward Ethan Wheatley, a move that surely capitalises on the Saints' nerves.
Recently, Sky Sports confirmed the transfer, quoting: "Manchester United striker Ethan Wheatley is set to join Northampton on loan."
Wheatley's move can be detrimental to Saints' Cup opener plans
Well, the credentials before Ethan's name speak a lot for the Saints' fears, and if not, his premature but impressive career surely does. Apart from having being a prolific goal scorer for the Red Devils' youth ranks in the past, Ethan's name shines brighter on Saints prodigy Dibling on some terms.
Agreed, unlike Tyler Dibling, Ethan hadn't been a starter at Man United, yet his rare first-team game-time accounts for fewer chances more than anything else. Otherwise, one wouldn't see the stark differences in their national team presence, with Ethan being a lead-man role as Dibling still tries finding his feet in the U19 setup.
A few days ago, Southampton fans were dreaming of seeing Dibling share the pitch with a U19 compatriot in Tyrique George. Feels like the Saints' wish has been granted, just with a massive twist as they foresee a contest dwelling between Ethan and Dibling in the Carabao Cup game.
Well, hardly anything could have been worse for Southampton than being at risk in this highly anticipated Cup opener. Hopefully, Southampton execute what's expected from them, declining any Ethan Wheatley show.