Sofiane Boufal is not the only one-time Southampton winger making a splash in his new surroundings.
Less than 24 hours after the mercurial Moroccan opened his account for Angers on Friday night, Josh Sims produced another dazzling performance which, in the eyes of many observes, proved one thing – he is far too good for the third tier of English football.
Since joining Doncaster Rovers on loan, the former England U20 speedster has made adapting to League One level look like child’s play.
Sims single-handedly obliterated Ipswich Town’s unbeaten record with a trio of assists in last week’s 4-1 thrashing at the Keepmoat and, while Doncaster fell at Crewe on Saturday, the 23-year-old emerged from a 2-1 defeat with his reputation enhanced.
Cutting inside onto his favoured right foot, Sims curled an inch-perfect shot into the bottom corner. Not a bad way to score your first ever league goal.
The question now, of course, is whether Sims can convince Ralph Hasenhuttl to hand a second chance to a 23-year-old who, not so long ago, was being tipped to follow in the footsteps of Theo Walcott, Gareth Bale, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and co after graduating from Southampton’s famed youth academy.
Quick, forward-thinking and tailor-made for counter-attacking football; Sims certainly possesses a few of the attributes Hasenhuttl looks for in a forward.
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