The Saints boss says young players represent the future of the club, which in turn is the best place for youngsters to learn the ropes.
Southampton boss Ralph Hasenhuttl has spoken out about Michael Obafemi’s new contract in comments that should be of music to the ears not only of the Saints academy players but also any prospective youngsters who are considering their options.
Since his arrival to the St Mary’s hotseat in December, Hasenhuttl has made use of numerous academy players including Yan Valery, Josh Sims, Tyreke Johnson, Callum Slattery and Kayne Ramsay, a very positive stance with regards to the club’s youngsters and their hopes of progress.
On Wednesday, 18-year-old academy graduate Obafemi signed a three-and-a-half year contract at the club following an impressive campaign so far in which he has established himself as an important part of the first-team squad under Hasenhuttl.
After the announcement was made, the Austrian told the official Southampton website: “Young players like Michael represent a big part of the future of Southampton, so this is an important day for him and also for the club.
“There is still a great amount of potential for Michael to fulfil and a lot for him to achieve, and this is the best place for him to do it, so he must focus on working as hard and professionally as possible to make sure he becomes the player I believe he can be.”
Stating that young players represent a big part of Southampton’s future is telling enough as it is, but boldly saying the south coast club is the best place for Obafemi to fulfil his potential is also something that other up-and-coming stars should take heed of.
The way things are going, the Saints will appear like the best place for any talented youngster to fulfil their potential, and given it’s the club where the likes of Gareth Bale, Theo Walcott, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Adam Lallana came through the ranks, the boxes of past, present and future are all ticked and make for a good port of call.
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