One Southampton ace has really been catching the eye of Rusell Martin and he could be handed a debut soon.
Southampton have a rich history of producing talent from their prestigious Staplewood academy having nurtured the likes of Matt Le Tissier, Alan Shearer, James Ward-Prowse and so on.
Jack Stephens and Will Smallbone are the latest examples, with the pair heavily involved under Martin this season.
On the weekend, Saints were held to a goalless draw by Blackburn Rovers at Ewood Park, which was a pretty disappointing result by all accounts.
Though, there was one positive that came from it.
Russell Martin ‘so impressed’ with Nico Lawrence
Whilst Saturday’s result was a frustrating one, it did see 20-year-old Nico Lawrence named on the bench for the first time.
The young centre-half spent the first half of the season on loan at League Two outfit Colchester United, though, after making only five appearances due to injury, he returned in January.
Since being back at Southampton, Martin has been ‘so impressed’ with him and believes he can become a fixture of the side over the coming years.
“Nico deserves it. I have been so impressed by him. He works like a dog every day. The shape he is in now compared to when he came is completely different,” the Saints told the Daily Echo.
“Unfortunately for him, centre-half is the position I love coaching the most because I played there. It is such an important part of the game for us to build up and play that way.
“He has been getting flogged bless him. He has risen to it because of his brilliant mentality. He has good attributes.”
Martin continued: “It is up to us to get the most out of Nico to give him the best chance of playing here. He has the potential to do that.
“I believe he can do that over the long term. I really like him as a kid and as a footballer. He deserved to be in the squad.”
Nico Lawrence could be handed debut
Lawrence is still awaiting his Southampton debut and with seven games of the Championship season remaining, he may get his chance.
Saints don’t have an awful lot to play for, so perhaps heading into the playoffs, Martin may hand the former non-league ace the opportunity to impress as a substitute, or even as a starter.
He mightn’t be the only academy star who could feature, with Tyler Diblng also deserving of a chance in the run-in.
The future is certainly bright for the South Coasters as they have a number of talented teenagers rising through the ranks.
Could Lawrence be the next to graduate from the Staplewood academy?