Flynn Downes

Downes built his reputation on a completion rate that stood out even among the country's better passing midfielders, achieved not through timid safe balls but through genuine control under pressure. He receives the ball facing his own goal more often than most and still turns it into something useful, shielding it from the first challenge and picking the pass that keeps possession moving. Southampton's build up depends on him being available in tight spaces.

The part of his game supporters argue about is end product. A midfielder this reliable in possession is not judged the same way as one asked to create chances, and he rarely provides the final pass himself, instead setting the platform for others further forward. Whether Southampton need him to add more attacking threat, or whether his current role is exactly what the team requires, depends entirely on who else plays around him.