The Southampton conveyer belt never seems to stop running, as once again it seems like young academy graduates could break into the first team.
It’s widely considered that the Saints have one of the best academies in Europe, having produced Theo Walcott, Gareth Bale and Luke Shaw amongst others over the past decade. And the club’s current under 21 set up is bursting with talent that could make its mark on the first team in the near future.
Over the past season midfielders James Ward-Prowse and Harrison Reed have began to make varying degrees of first team involvement, and the next midfielder that could join them is Jake Hesketh.
The talented attacking midfielder has already made 2 Premier League starts, after playing 20 minutes against Manchester United and then starting the following game against Burnley. However the dynamic midfielder’s game was cut short, after going off injured.
Hesketh signed a professional contract last May, after a fantastic campaign with the under 18’s, which saw him end up as the top goalscorer. Hesketh has described himself as modelling his game on Spanish legend Andres Iniesta.
19 year old striker Ryan Seager is the next top man who could soon make his mark on the first team. With Southampton currently struggling for goals up front, the Yeovil-born striker could be Southampton’s answer.
Seager has already made his Premier League debut, and has also featured in the FA Cup against Crystal Palace. Seager notched 20 goals in the 2013/14 under 18’s season and has since been a regular in the under 21’s, Seager has shown his potential as a poacher with a keen eye for goal, described as a striker who “scores goals for fun”.
The youngest pick of the bunch, 17 year old Josh Sims has taken massive strides forward in his career, and has already began to cement himself in the under 21’s. A speedy left winger, Sims could follow in the steps of Walcott and Oxlade-Chamberlain to push into the first team at a young age. The youngster has already contributed internationally, winning the under 17s European Championship last summer.
