Southampton boss heaps praise on Nigeria-eligible forward

Southampton coach Nathan Jones has praised Nigeria-eligible forward Sam Edozie for his brilliant performances in recent weeks.

Edozie joined Southampton from Manchester City in the summer in a deal worth €8 million. The 19-year-old winger arrived highly rated and considering the paucity of quality forwards at St. Mary’s, he was sure of a starting shirt if he proved his quality.

The London-born forward made his competitive debut for Southampton in September in the Saints’ 1-0 loss to Wolves.

However, he had to wait two more months before he made his first competitive start for Southampton in their EFL Cup victory over Sheffield Wednesday.

Edozie got the nod to start on Monday when Southampton squared off against Brighton in their first Premier League game after the World Cup.

Unfortunately for Nathan Jones and his side, the result was not palatable. They suffered a 3-1 defeat at home.

Nonetheless, Edozie was a shining light for Southampton, as he won the penalty through which they pulled one back.

The former Manchester City academy man also registered four successful dribbles, three shots, and one interception.

Southampton coach Jones has been impressed by what he has seen from the youngster recently, and he feels his performance is worthy of emulation.

“Edozie has been a real positive since we came in,” Jones told Hampshirelive.

“We brought him on against Liverpool and he was fantastic. We brought him on against Lincoln and he was fantastic. Against Brighton he was fantastic too.

“It’s a shame that we’re relying on a teenager to really light the place up though.

“We have to be better all over and if we’re better all over then performances like Sammy’s (Edozie) will win us games rather than trying to get us back into them.”

It is not halfway into the season yet, but the Saints find themselves in a relegation fight already. They sit rock bottom of the Premier League table with just twelve points after 16 games.

Nathan Jones would look to stir the ship and help all the players hit their stride so they can stay afloat.

Edozie was born in England to Nigerian parents. He has represented England at youth level, but he is eligible to represent Nigeria because of his parents and he is yet to get a senior cap.