The forgotten Southampton star who could become Tonda Eckert's own Ryan Fraser

Tonda Eckert regularly utilised Ross Stewart off the bench last season as Southampton manager.

The Scotsman became a dependable impact option for the German to rely on, with Stewart only starting 11 Saints games last campaign in the Championship, yet he ended the season with an electric nine goals under his belt.

He is now on the books of Swansea City, but when Russell Martin was around in the St. Mary's dug-out, he had his own Scottish weapon in Ryan Fraser, who filled in whenever he was asked to do so and also scored some memorable goals.

Fraser's impact at St. Mary's

Fraser wasn't always a regular starter, like Stewart, but he managed to prove his worth over the course of the 2023/24 season on loan from Newcastle United.

He would score six goals to play his part in the South Coast titans winning promotion to the Premier League, from only 13 starts.

The quick winger did have to bide his time to score his first ever Saints goal, with his first eight outings in his new red and white resulting in blanks in-front of goal.

But, after scoring the winner for Martin and Co. away at Hull City in October 2023 from just six minutes of action, he became a quietly crucial part of the promotion-chasing machine.

Indeed, he would regularly bail his team out, with two goals coming about during a 5-0 Boxing Day hammering against Swansea City, despite the affectionately named Wee Man only being on the St. Mary's pitch for 20 minutes.

Looking back on the promotion-winning campaign, Martin would note that the 5-foot-4 trickster "delivered in so many big moments for us."

He would even sign permanently for the Saints, and while that didn't quite work out, as he failed to score from 15 Championship games last season, he is still held in high regard for his catalogue of pivotal cameo appearances during those promotion heroics.

Eckert could well have his own Fraser, fast-forwarding back to the present, as this loanee is ready to earn his stripes at St. Mary's and do his part in Southampton being near the top of the second-tier tree again, despite playing very minimally so far.

Eckert could have his own Fraser

Zach Abbott won't be expected to be scoring the goals to seal Southampton's passage back to the top-flight.

But, he could suddenly become very important as another loanee from the Premier League, with Keven Schlotterbeck now out injured for six weeks, after picking up a dislocated shoulder injury against Preston North End.

Hopefully, like Fraser managed during the memorable 23/24 season, Abbott excels when the spotlight is put on him, as he is a frontrunner to start at the back against Derby, right after the break ends, alongside Jack Stephens in the heart of the Saints' defence.

Indeed, he came into the side against Preston, when Schlotterbeck hobbled off, and thrived under the pressure, with the Nottingham Forest academy graduate winning all 100% of his duels against Graham Alexander's hosts.

He will want to steer the Saints to a win if he starts against the Rams, though, having had to stomach a bruising 1-0 loss at Deepdale, despite his valiant 79-minute runout.

Abbott is unlikely to stick it out on the South Coast past this loan spell, as he is held in high regard back at his parent Premier League club.

But, he will want to add a promotion to his fledgling CV regardless and be remembered as a notable loanee who stepped up and delivered, just like the indelible mark Fraser left.

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