A rising Southampton youngster is now training with the first team, and manager Russell Martin is thought to be impressed by what he's seen.
Southampton’s Championship form
The Saints have been in fine form under Martin for a number of months now, with their last Championship defeat coming way back in September.
A 103-year club record was broken by Southampton last month when they made it 21 games unbeaten with a 3-1 win over Swansea City, and Martin’s side are now occupying the second automatic promotion spot behind Leicester City. Leeds United are closely behind the Saints, though, so it could be a dramatic final few months of the season.
Martin has actually used 36 different players during the current campaign, and it looks as if one defender who hasn’t featured could soon get his chance in the matchday squad.
Southampton teenager training with first-team
Talking to The Daily Echo, Martin revealed that young defender Nico Lawrence is training with the first team after a January move away failed to materialise. Martin has been impressed, saying: "Nico is back in the building now after his loan and there was a decision made on him. There were a few clubs interested in taking him on loan but he has been out of the building for a while and I have not seen much of him.
"I really like what I have seen in the short period of a few days that we have trained. I sat down and had a conversation with him. It was with Olly Lancashire, Carl Martin and Jason Wilcox as well, and I want to see more of him so he will train with us every day.
"He has an opportunity to force himself into the squad and to show us what he has got. He will be better for these four months. He has been out for a while so we want to get him in the best condition he has ever been in."
Lawrence gained his first taste of senior football out on loan with Torquay United last season and was voted the club’s Young Player of the Year. He was praised by Gulls boss Gary Johnson, who said 12 months ago: “He’s got all the attributes, and I can see why Southampton think highly of him. We’re helping him – (Aaron) Downes's centre-half work that he does – and the lad is proper up for learning more.
"He’s enjoying the experience of playing in the first team regularly, with pressure, with managers screaming at them at half time and at the end, because that doesn’t always happen at the Under-21s – it’s more a development – so there’s a lot more on this, and he’s coped on and off the pitch really well.”
The 20-year-old was then sent out on loan to Colchester United last summer but only managed to make four League Two appearances before suffering an injury. Capable of playing as a holding midfielder as well as in his natural centre-back role, Lawrence will now have the chance to break into Martin’s plans for the remainder of the season.