Just a year ago, Cam Bragg was struggling for game time at League One outfit Crawley Town.
The young Southampton academy product appeared to be miles away from first-team contention for the Saints, starting just eight times in the third tier before being recalled mid-season.
But the 21-year-old has truly shone since Tonda Eckert’s arrival at Southampton. From captaining the U21’s side under the German to stepping up as a starter against Manchester City at Wembley - it is clear his stint at Crawley was an outlier.
Bragg looks destined for the top and looked at home against some of the world’s best on Saturday.
An intelligent performance at Wembley
When Cam Bragg was named in the Southampton lineup to play Manchester City on Sunday, it was a huge vote of confidence by Southampton head coach Tonda Eckert.
Even with the more experienced, highly-rated Shea Charles available to start, Eckert had the choice between three centre midfielders, with Flynn Downes suspended until the end of the season, and elected for Bragg.
Bragg played comfortably well throughout the sixty minutes he played, alongside Caspar Jander, who was also excellent.
Jander has taken all the plaudits, and rightly so, but Bragg was the player to marshal the midfield against a constant Manchester City attack, stemming the tide and making four recoveries throughout the match.
Bragg took only 23 touches of the ball, but 20 of which were passes. It was a performance that required discipline and intelligent positioning, and he took to his role perfectly.
Manchester City performance was not a one-off
Cam Bragg’s performance against Manchester City was not a one-off. He has consistently performed since joining the Saints' first team and has looked comfortable in every game.
In Southampton’s road to the FA Cup semi-final, Bragg featured heavily, scoring the winner against Premier League Fulham and having a blinding game against Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal.
It’s becoming increasingly clear that Bragg is finding things comfortable in the Saints midfield - he’s certainly a player who is going to be of great importance in the coming years.
Whether he’s someone that Southampton will end up selling for pure profit, or a player that will lead the next generation of the football club in its new era, Bragg has all the tools to be a great success.
Keeping hold of talents like him, as well as promising manager Tonda Eckert, is going to be key if the club wants sustained success.
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