Southampton prospect Jake Vokins has revealed that he looked up to Gareth Bale while growing up.
The 19-year-old left-back netted his first competitive goal for the Saints in a recent 2-0 win over Huddersfield in the FA Cup, rifling a deflected effort in off the crossbar.
It came after Vokins had recorded three assists in nine Premier League 2 appearances for Southampton’s U23 side, showcasing his attacking prowess, and the teenager has now revealed that he idolises the Real Madrid forward.
What did he say?
Vokins said: “Bale is a big name to live up to but all I can do is work hard and see where it gets me.
“He was definitely someone I looked up to and look at him now – he is one of the best players in the world and was definitely a role model for me as I was growing up here.”
Could be a successor for Nathan Redmond rather than Ryan Bertrand
Given his current status as a left-back, you might feel that Vokins would eventually replace Ryan Bertrand if he does end up becoming a first-team regular at Southampton.
However, his comments about idolising Bale – who famously started out as a left-back before becoming one of Europe’s best forwards – could suggest that he might instead be a long-term successor for Nathan Redmond on the left-wing.
While that might be somewhat of a stretch on its own, Ralph Hasenhuttl recently set Vokins the challenge of improving his defending, with the Austrian stating that he is “not always clinical and strong enough” in defensive duels.
“Jake’s very, very forward oriented but the reverse gear sometimes takes a bit longer, especially the duels in defence are not always clinical and strong enough.”
However, the former RB Leipzig boss did reveal that he thinks Vokins is “very, very forward oriented” – given his love of attacking, but weakness in defence, could we see the teenager move further up the field if Hasenhuttl cannot coach the defensive side of the game into him?
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That much remains to be seen, although if the Southampton academy graduate does follow in his idol’s footsteps and move into an attacking role, he could well become Redmond’s heir rather than Bertrand’s.
In other news, these Southampton fans loved this tweet from the club’s official Twitter account…