Jamie Redknapp picks out Southampton’s crucial star in survival fight

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Southampton fell into the Premier League relegation zone over the weekend.

Jamie Redknapp has told the Daily Mail that if Mark Hughes can get the best out of Nathan Redmond during the final weeks of the season, Southampton have a fantastic chance of maintaining their Premier League status.

The Saints may be into the last four of the FA Cup, but their league form has got to be a major concern for the new manager. Crystal Palace’s win over Huddersfield on Saturday knocked the St Mary’s outfit into the bottom three with eight games to go.

Their only league win since the end of November came against the division’s bottom side West Brom, so it is going to be vital that Hughes turns their form around in the near future – especially with West Ham ahead in their first game following the international break.

But Redknapp – who was part of the Saints side that was relegated back in 2005 – does not appear particularly concerned for his old club, insisting that Redmond’s performance in the cup quarter-final with Wigan on Sunday highlighted that he could be the key man in the coming weeks.

“Already Mark Hughes looks a great fit for Southampton. He may not have inherited the best squad but he is the right man to get results with these players,” he told the Daily Mail.

“This was a potentially tricky tie to negotiate at Wigan but, having been knocked out in the third round with Stoke, Hughes is just 90 minutes from the FA Cup final.

“In Nathan Redmond, he has a winger blessed with pace which he used to great effect against Wigan. If he can keep Redmond firing between now and the end of the season, Southampton have a good chance of survival.”

The 24-year-old has endured a very difficult season and it may concern some of the fans that Redknapp is backing the winger to lead the team to safety if he can find form.

Redmond has not scored in the league this season, while he has also only managed three assists in 25 appearances in the top flight. He did score seven times in the league last year however, and that may give Saints fans reason for optimism at what must be a strange time with the club in the bottom three but getting a win under their new manager that has taken them to the last four of the FA Cup.