Caleb Watts made his EPL debut for Southampton on Wednesday morning against Arsenal.Credit:Getty
The other,Socceroos goalkeeper Mat Ryan,watched on from the Arsenal bench,an unused substitute.
Southampton were already two goals down when Watts entered the fray,and while they lost 3-1,the 19-year-old acquitted himself well in just his second appearance at senior level for the club,having made his professional debut to rave reviews last week in a 2-0 FA Cup win over Shrewsbury Town.
Some excited Saints fans have compared him to Aston Villa captain Jack Grealish,and not just because of how he wears his socks.
Socceroos boss Graham Arnold was among Watts’ many well-wishers on Wednesday morning – as was the national under-17s manager and interim Football Australia technical director Trevor Morgan,who coached him at the FIFA U-17 World Cup in 2019.
“He’s quite happy and quite humble. He said,‘I’m hoping I get one or two more opportunities before the season’s over.’ It makes it clear for him that there’s a possibility of playing at the top level,” Morgan said.
“He’s very competitive,he’s confident to come and get the ball and help in the build-up,he’s confident to run with the ball at spaces,at people,take people on.