Sam Amo-Ameyaw played 80 minutes as England crashed out of the FIFA Under-17 World Cup, suffering a surprise 2-1 defeat to Uzbekistan.
Amo-Ameyaw was called up to the squad for the tournament in Indonesia alongside Southampton teammates Jayden Meghoma and Tyler Dibling and played a crucial role as England topped a group including Brazil, Iran and New Caledonia.
The trio will be returning to the Saints sooner than expected after the Uzbekistan defeat and will have to brush off the disappointment of the mid-season tournament where they would have been hoping for glory.
With impressive individual performances in the World Cup, Amo-Ameyaw looks to have a really bright future, but can he make his mark on the present and stake a proper claim for a regular place in the senior Southampton squad upon his return from international duty?
Who is Sam Amo-Ameyaw?
Amo-Ameyaw is an exciting winger with quick feet and turbo-charged acceleration. He is the type of player that gets fans off their seats and leaves defenders terrified. His two goals and two assists in three Premier League 2 games this season shows just how much of a threat he can be.
Now 17, Amo-Ameyaw became the youngest-ever player to play a Premier League game in Southampton’s history when he came off the bench in the 4-4 draw with Liverpool in the final game of the season at just 16 years and 314 days.
Perhaps symbolically, the winger replaced the club’s last real homegrown talent in James Ward-Prowse as he came on for his debut, representing what may be looked back on as a passing of the baton in years to come.
Despite coming on in the 87th minute, Amo-Ameyaw impressed in his cameo and had fans asking who this kid was. In truth, having been signed from Tottenham as a 16-year-old, it may be a stretch to call the youngster a product of Southampton’s academy, but that won’t stop fans willing him to be their next young star.
Impressive pre-season captured Russell Martin’s attention
After the fleeting taste of Premier League football, Amo-Ameyaw had a new manager to impress with the arrival of Russell Martin following Southampton’s relegation. The new man in the dugout likes to play a positive brand of football and this suits the young winger, but this alone was no guarantee he would get his chance under the new manager.
Martin decided he wanted Amo-Ameyaw with the first team in pre-season and rewarded his efforts in training with opportunities in pre-season friendlies. The youngster impressed in friendlies with Benfica, Southampton’s sister club Goztepe and Reading, generating excitement every time he got the ball.
In the wake of the 4-2 victory over Reading, Martin was very complimentary of Amo-Ameyaw, saying: “For his age, he’s been a beautiful surprise for us in terms of what he can produce. It’s up to us to make him ready for the first team regularly as quickly as possible.”
In the days leading up to the friendly with Reading, the club showed their faith in their young talent as Amo-Ameyaw signed his first professional contract.
Will Amo-Ameyaw get his chance at Southampton?
Martin clearly felt that Amo-Ameyaw was ready for the first team come the start of the season, with the teenager capped ten times by England under-17s in the first seven Championship squads of the season.
In fact, after being an unused substitute in Southampton’s opening day win over Sheffield Wednesday, Amo-Ameyaw came off the bench in the next two league games and was a surprise starter in the fourth game against QPR.
Surprisingly, despite a decent showing in his first league start, that game on the 26th August is still the last time Amo-Ameyaw has featured under Martin. This is likely down to three main factors: the loan signing of Ryan Fraser, the return from injury of Kamaldeen Sulemana, and a run of four consecutive defeats that led to Martin relying more on experience.
After a period away from the squad, Amo-Ameyaw will be determined to earn back his place in the first-team. It won’t be easy for him with the aforementioned pair of Fraser and Sulemana, as well as Sam Edozie all blocking his pathway. To add to this, despite not being natural wingers, both club captain Adam Armstrong and Carlos Alcaraz have been playing from Amo-Ameyaw’s favoured right-wing in the current run of eight games unbeaten and will be difficult to displace.
Unfortunately for Amo-Ameyaw and Southampton’s other youngsters, the club were knocked out of the Carabao Cup in their first game in this season’s competition by Gillingham, with the competition often giving manager’s an opportunity to cast an eye over youth.
The good news is that there are plenty of games in the Championship and, with two games most weeks, Amo-Ameyaw is likely to get another opportunity if he remains patient. It is then up to the 17-year-old to take his chance.