Ryan Manning is yet to reach his attacking heights at Southampton despite spending two years at St. Mary's so far. However, this might be his red-hot form season after brimming with confidence in Will Still's guidance.
Southampton's current left-back catalogue is entirely built upon acquiring free agents, and so, it's easy to neglect some mild performances from them. Last year, there were three such candidates and all of them combined for a sorry figure to their attacking partners.
Charlie Taylor is seen as the first one to pay the price of a quiet campaign, and never forget, he was a usual theme in Burnley's recent highs. If he can find himself lurking near the Saints exit door, then, no one is a nailed-on fullback solely because one player is leaving from that position.
Peeping between the lines, it's a subtle warning to Ryan Manning who too had the Saints cheerful for finally landing a left-back who could do it all across both ends of the pitch.
And the real deal? Manning was changing clubs but not managers, so, the whole transfer was oozing success without doubts of a failure. The harsh truth is that the 29-year-old's creative numbers went down the charts, and he has since been moulded into a more defensive frame at St. Mary's.
Manning willing to enjoy a strong outing near the opposition goal
Can he do it better and become the pick of the chance creating bunch he was at Swansea? Difficult to say, but finding old rhythm depends on the individual and Manning is thrilled to give it a brilliant go after two subpar campaigns.
As quoted by the Daily Echo, he gave a favourable insight from Will Still's approach saying: "He's given everyone a licence to express themselves. For me, as a full-back who wants to get forward, that's exactly what I want to hear. Bursting forward, trying to set up goals, is a nice start to pre-season."
Now, expecting the Irish international to chip in with double-digit goal contributions may be a step too far. Rather, Manning should strive to stay for prolonged spells deeper inside the opposition half and make the best decisions he can, whatever the situation calls for.