Record signing Mario Lemina has hit the ground running at Southampton since his potentially club-record move from Juventus, much to the delight of Saints fans.
The holding midfielder put in a Man of the Match performance against Crystal Palace on Saturday, as an early Steven Davis goal gave Mauricio Pellegrino’s men a much needed victory.
Saints looked like a totally different side at Selhurst Park than the team that lost 2-0 at home to Watford only ten days ago, as they oozed with confidence both in defence and attack.
With the South Coast club facing a difficult test against Manchester United on Saturday, how influential could Mario Lemina be for Saints?
The 24-year-old certainly pulled the strings against Palace, and has had the desired impact on the team. Lemina, in what was his third appearance for Saints, successfully completed 90% of his passes, and had an average pass length of 18 metres. He has shown he is assured at controlling a match, demonstrating his excellent work rate alongside this.
The Gabon international also proved that he is accomplished going forwards and backwards, as he completed all three of his attempted take-ons on the attack, whilst making seven defensive actions. These were three clearances, three interceptions and one block.
Southampton will be very encouraged by their new man’s early performances, with a potential partnership with Oriol Romeu at the heart of the Saints midfield a mouth-watering prospect for supporters.
Lemina has shown every sign of being a complete midfielder, with Saints looking to have signed a very talented player.
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