Southampton winger David Brooks has been in excellent form recently.
The 26-year-old joined the Saints back in the January transfer window, signing on loan from Bournemouth until the end of the season.
Since then, he has been a key player for Russell Martin‘s side. He has so far scored two goals and provided three assists in eight games for the club.
That saw the Southampton man named in the Wales squad for his side’s Euro 2024 qualifying play-offs over the March international break.
The first of those came with a semi-final on Thursday night, where Wales hosted Finland at The Cardiff City Stadium.
During that game, Brooks certainly managed to transfer his recent club form, onto the international stage.
David Brooks praised for Wales performance
Brooks got Wales off to the perfect start in that clash with Finland on Thursday.
The Southampton pounced to clinically finish on the rebound to put his side 1-0 just three minutes into the game.
With Wales leading 2-1 at half time, the winger then teed up Brennan Johnson to give the hosts an all important early in the second half.
Rob Page’s side would go on to claim an emphatic 4-1 win. Not surprisingly, Brooks was hailed for his contribution.
Writing about the Southampton man’s performance, the Daily Mail said:
“Put Wales on their way with a finish full of class within three minutes. A danger throughout on the right, while he also assisted Johnson’s goal. An in-form Brooks is integral to this Welsh team.”
As a result, Brooks was given a rating of 7.5/10 for his efforts for Wales in that win over Finland.
Interestingly, the stats seem to suggest it was an otherwise frustrating night for the winger.
According to SofaScore, other than his goal, all three of Brooks’ shots against Finland were off target. Meanwhile, he lost all four of the duels he was involved in, and lost possession on 13 occasions.
He also attempted three dribbles, none of which were deemed to be successful.
Ultimately though, his efforts would still have put pressure on the Finnish defence. Beyond that, the Southampton winger also stepped up when it mattered most, with his goal and assist.
Wales will now host Poland in Cardiff on Tuesday night. The winner of that match will qualify for Euro 2024.
Southampton will relish David Brooks’ form
The fact Brooks has produced another return such as this while on international duty will surely be welcomed by those at St Mary’s.
Since making the move to Martin’s side, the winger has made some vital contributions in front of goal.
With Southampton still battling for promotion, they will want him to continue to do that between now and the end of the season.
His showing for Wales on Thursday night, ensures he is maintaining that momentum, which should put him in a good position to continue to make a mark for the Saints.
However, Southampton will be desperate to see him come through Tuesday night’s game unscathed, given they are in action just a matter of days later, at home to Middlesbrough on Friday 29th March.