Radhi Jaidi’s comments on Southampton Under-23s should be of interest to Ralph Hasenhuttl

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The Saints U23s are in the Premier League 2 Division 2 playoffs as they seek promotion to the top flight.

Southampton Under-23s will be in the running for promotion to the Premier League 2’s top division via the playoffs after clinching second spot in the second tier on Monday night.

The Saints youngsters ran out 5-1 winners over their Sunderland counterparts at St Mary’s Stadium, although they had to fight back from a goal down after Lee Connelly’s finish from a tight angle gave the Black Cats an early lead.

Christoph Klarer and Tyreke Johnson struck two goals in two first-half minutes to surge back ahead, Will Smallbone’s penalty made it three, and Marcus Barnes and Alfie Jones added gloss to the scoreline.

Indeed, Southampton only missed out on top spot to Wolverhampton Wanderers by virtue of goal difference, and now Radhi Jaidi’s side face a home playoff semi-final against fifth-placed Aston Villa, plus a home draw for the playoff final, should they get there.

“This year has been amazing for us in so many aspects. We stepped up the level,” Jaidi told the official club website. “I can say players have been involved with the first team and we’ve challenged at the top of the table all season. It shows the depth of the squad and the quality we have.

“The last few weeks have been fantastic; seeing the boys so driven and determined. They’ve improved so much. The impact of the players who came on tonight was also impressive and I’ll say now we’re a contender. A great opportunity to learn from, no matter the outcome.”

Since his arrival to the St Mary’s hotseat in December, Ralph Hasenhuttl has utilised numerous academy players in his first team including Michael Obafemi, Yan Valery, Josh Sims, Tyreke Johnson, Callum Slattery and Kayne Ramsay.

The Austrian should be very interested by Jaidi’s comments on how the whole Under-23s squad has gone from strength to strength this season, with quality, strength in depth and the right attitude from the players all suggesting that he could have an even bigger pool of talent to pick from ahead of the 2019-20 campaign.