Russell Martin should start his reliable £3 million Ex-Swansea star

Manager Russell Martin joined Southampton as the new manager last year following his two successful seasons at Championship side Swansea. In his second season, Martin led Swansea to an impressive tenth placed finish where they narrowly missed qualification to the Championship playoffs by three points. The foundation of a brilliant 2022/23 Championship campaign was built on a rock-solid defence with Ryan Manning and Nathan Wood being among the best defenders in the league that season.

While Manning joined Southampton on a free transfer last year, England U21 international Nathan Wood arrived at the St. Mary's Stadium in a £3 million move at the beginning of the summer transfer window. Manager Russell Martin recommended the signing of the 22-year-old to provide more squad depth and competition to other U21 internationals Taylor Harwood-Bellis and Juan Larios for a starting centre-back spot. However, Wood is yet to start for the Saints in the Premier League and his only two competitive appearances for Southampton came in two Carabao Cup wins against Cardiff City and Everton.

Russell Martin should start his reliable £3 million Ex-Swansea star

While Wood looked struggling with pace and fitness against Cardiff City, the Ex-Swansea star formed a reliable centre-back partnership with Taylor Harwood-Bellis making a number of important tackles and clearances inside the box against Sean Dyche's Everton. However, it is a huge surprise that Martin didn't give some Premier League game time to Wood in either of Ipswich Town or Bournemouth matches. Wood's biggest strength is his man-marking ability and the England youth star also makes perfect tackles while defending, alongside being a good ball-playing defender.

Thus, Wood is a great squad option as a right-footed centre-back, who often advances towards the halfway line, to give some key passes inside the final third. With Harwood-Bellis leading and organising the defence, Wood can contribute in the build up play leading to Southampton scoring more goals while maintaining defensive solidity. With upcoming matches against Leicester City, Wolves and Everton, Wood should get more playing time as these sides often create more chances inside the final third.

Thus, Wood can be an important player for Southampton as he can find enough spaces going forward to give several quality passes to Tyler Dibling and Mateus Fernandes on both sides of the attack. Now, it remains to be seen when the 22-year-old will make his Premier League debut for Southampton.