Southampton manager Russell Martin has been full of praise for the performance of one of his stars after the second friendly of pre-season.
Having kicked off their pre-season schedule with a 7-1 win over Eastleigh on Friday night, Southampton were again in action on Wednesday morning as they faced Bordeaux.
Russell Martin watched on as his side edged the encounter with a 3-2 win to make it two wins from two to start the summer ahead of a more difficult test against Ligue 1 Montpellier on Saturday.
Academy duo Tyler Dibling and Sam Amo-Ameyaw were both on the scoresheet for Southampton as they continue to impress in pre-season, with Sekou Mara scoring the third, and Martin was full of praise for one of the goal scorers post-match.
Russell Martin impressed with Sam Amo-Ameyaw in Southampton friendly win
Amo-Ameyaw was the breakthrough star of last pre-season, with Martin labelling the then-17-year-old a ‘beautiful surprise’ shortly after the manager’s arrival at St Mary’s.
After featuring in three of the first four league games of the campaign, Amo-Ameyaw soon found himself out of the first-team and returned to the under-21 side for the bulk of the season.
There is no shame in that given the winger is still so young but he has started this pre-season in impressive fashion, following up a bright performance in which he won a penalty against Eastleigh with a well-taken goal on Wednesday.
With a direct run before cutting onto his left foot and firing into the far corner to put Southampton 2-1 up over Bordeaux, Amo-Ameyaw certainly caught his manager’s eye.
Martin confirmed as much post-match, saying in a post-match interview: “I thought Sam [Amo-Ameyaw] was outstanding, really, really good again.”
The 38-year-old then set out the next step for the youngster, explaining: “He needs to keep that level up, he started last season in a very good place, played a few minutes but couldn’t quite maintain it. So now that’s the challenge for him.”
Southampton must get Amo-Ameyaw and Dibling decisions right this summer
Southampton have a big decision to make this summer over the immediate future of Amo-Ameyaw and Dibling.
Martin claimed after the Eastleigh win that the ball is very much in the court of both Amo-Ameyaw and Dibling regarding whether they go out on loan this season or earn a spot in the first-team squad at the Saints.
Both players’ performances so far this summer have proven they could be ready to make an impact for Martin’s side, but with the step up to the Premier League it would be a real risk to thrust either of the 18-year-olds into action.
What may be best for both is a Championship loan where they can get their first taste of regular senior football and return ready to stake a claim for a starting spot at Southampton in the 2025/26 season.
Otherwise, another season without meaningful senior football could see the pair’s development stall.