Romeo Akachukwu

Akachukwu scored a hat trick in a play off semi final while still playing in Irish league football, the kind of performance that gets scouts making phone calls rather than simply filing a report. Southampton moved for him not long after, paying a fee that was significant for a player his age and level at the time. That instinct for arriving in the box from midfield and finishing chances, rather than purely setting them up, stood out clearly.

The jump from Irish league football to English football is a considerable one. Southampton have so far managed his development carefully through loan spells to build senior match sharpness gradually. He has represented the Republic of Ireland at youth level and continues to push for recognition at the next age group up. Whether the goal scoring instinct that produced that hat trick survives the step up is worth watching.