Southampton have become huge admirers of Alex Freeman's talent who has made former Saints fan favourite Mauricio Pochettino take selection notice of his current performances.
Following Kyle Walker-Peters' exit, Southampton's fullback asymmetry has worsened even further. On one hand, left-backs like Charlie Taylor are having a hard time convincing any coach of his long-term strengths while the opposite right end is in dire need of defensive depth, let alone quality.
Now, taking a look at the available natural right-backs in the squad, it's a one-way choice in Yukinari Sugawara. Talking about him, the less said, the better as his penalty prone defending has cost Southampton a handful of valuable points.
Hence, regardless of whether Southampton offload the 25-year-old or not, they need a better defensive oriented fullback.
Mauricio Pochettino has brilliant fullback in store for Southampton
Well, here's the interesting part. The Saints can get a top-notch replacement from the Major League Soccer but at a lower transfer risk.
That's because according to The72, the player in question is Alex Freeman who has recently made the cut in former Saints manager Mauricio Pochettino's United States squad.
Honestly, Southampton's best manager in the 21st century has been Ronald Koeman but Pochettino's contribution in maintaining Saints in the Premier League can't be ignored. Thus, a good chunk of the Southampton fanbase still holds him in high regard and will not take his opinion lightly.
Further, Freeman's young age is one of the biggest plus points in this deal. At just 20-years-old, the Orlando City starter could be moulded into both as an extra attacking alternative or a more conservative defender as Will Still may wish.
And in recent years, the Premier League and overall English football has seen many success stories of American players like Christian Pulisic and Antonee Robinson. With that in mind, Freeman could be the next one if he manages to adapt to the Championship's competitiveness in his debut season.
Overall, Freeman is a good low cost affordable fullback which is an ideal profile that Southampton must target. Will Johannes Spors and the other decision makers will back Freeman's talent in the transfer market remains to be seen.