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Southampton boss Will Still is yet to realise the true quality of one Saints man who continues to perform, despite not being handed a start in the Championship yet this season.
Southampton’s start to the season has seen them record a mixed bag of results.
They kicked off the season with an unconvincing yet crucial home win against newly-promoted Wrexham, who gave Will Still a scare on his debut game with the Saints. That was then followed up by a respectable draw against Ipswich Town before suffering defeat to a high-flying Stoke City outfit.
Southampton boss Still continues to get a grip of his squad and what his strongest side is, having tinkered with his starting 11 so far this season.
However, he has completely forgotten about one player who, despite recording a phenomenal Championship stat, has yet to be handed an opportunity from the start of a game.
Ryan Manning deserves a start under Will Still
Southampton full-back and super-sub Ryan Manning proved to be the hero in the Saints’ Championship opener after bagging an incredible free kick to level the game before Jack Stephens scored the winner.
As well as the Saints star’s heroics against the Red Dragons, Manning has also recorded the joint-most key passes in the Championship, despite not being handed a start under Will Still.
Via SofaScore, Manning has tallied a total of 10 key passes, equal to Sheffield Wednesday veteran Barry Bannan, but the Southampton man has managed an average of 7.26 every 90 minutes, in comparison to the Owls midfielder’s 3.53.
Having made such a consistent impact from the bench, Still should be alarmed that he needs to give an opportunity to Manning from the start after making such a crucial difference when called upon.
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Will Still needs to live up to key Southampton promise
After the disastrous 2024/25 Premier League season for Southampton, it was abruptly clear that a clean slate was needed in order for the club to move forward.
With this came a new philosophy integrated by Will Still, something that Ryan Manning discussed following the Championship opener against Wrexham.
Via the Southampton website, Manning said: “It probably comes from the gaffer and the staff so far in pre-season. He’s just constantly going on about how it’s a group effort, everyone in training is pushing each other for a starting XI spot.”
Any Southampton fan would surely agree that Manning has now done enough in his push for a starting spot under Still, having proven to hold a significant threat when the Saints are on the front foot.
Manning deserves his opportunity from the start next time out, which will hopefully have a positive effect on Southampton’s quality, both in defence and attack.