RALPH Hasenhuttl insists Saints’ academy talents “know they are seen” and could get an invitation to the first-team pre-season training camps.

The players will return to Staplewood Campus towards the end of June to begin gearing up for the 2022-23 Premier League season.

Saints have organised a week-long trip to Austria’s Worthersee on Wednesday, July 13, where they will also play a friendly against Bundesliga side Klagenfurt.

After their return, Saints are anticipated to play a number of domestic friendlies before the Premier League campaign kicks off on Saturday, August 6.

A number of the top talents in the Saints academy are waiting to see how their pre-season plays out before deciding their next steps for the new season.

Daily Echo: Youngster Thierry Small is expected to be involved in pre-season (Pic: Stuart Martin)Youngster Thierry Small is expected to be involved in pre-season (Pic: Stuart Martin)

The likes of Thierry Small, Kegs Chauke – if he signs a new deal with the club – and Dynel Simeu are all likely to pursue loan moves if they cannot be assured senior gametime.

Small, 17, has been a regular fixture in training with the first-team, but was the only B team or under-18 player to get any minutes last campaign.

“One, two or three have just trained a few times with us,” Hasenhuttl told the Daily Echo, at the end of the season. 

“They know they are seen and they know there is a chance if they perform very well they can get the invitation to train with us.

“The good thing is they, meanwhile, know everything about the way we want to play. It is not a stressful situation for them coming up, they can immediately show how good they are.”

Daily Echo: Saints manager Ralph Hasenhuttl (Pic: Sean Ryan)Saints manager Ralph Hasenhuttl (Pic: Sean Ryan)

After both teams suffered relegation from their respective divisions during 2020-21, both the B team and under-18s instead go into this season on a positive spin.

Carl Martin’s under-18s were only denied the Premier League title in the national final by Manchester City, while Dave Horseman’s B missed out on the Premier League 2 Division Two play-offs via goal difference.

Hasenhuttl went into the St Mary’s dressing room at full-time of that 2-1 clash with City this month to congratulate the youngsters on an impressive season.

“Absolutely. I was first waiting until they are in the dressing room and then telling them this because they deserve to get a clear message from us,” he added.

Daily Echo: Saints under-18s were Premier League South champions and National runners-up (Pic: Stuart Martin)Saints under-18s were Premier League South champions and National runners-up (Pic: Stuart Martin)

“Next season they will have to stand up again with another chance, a few players going out of the team, and they have to go again.

“More important is sometimes the individual development of the players at this age, more important than titles or winning something, but to have the experience of playing in front of 13,000 in their own ground is something of a little feeling how it is out there.”

He continued: “Super match against a super team. There are unbelievable players in that Man City team at every age. They play like the first-team and even look like the first-team sometimes.

“But I have seen a very similar situation in the two games where we played against them – they have unbelievable individual quality, but we have unbelievable team spirit.

“This was what I was expecting from our team and why they have to be proud of what they have done this season. You can see the identity of our club with the first goal, a ball-win high up the pitch against a team that wants to build up.

“We should be proud of this team, when I see tears in their eyes in the dressing room after the game you know that the guys really care about this club and really want to give their best for this team.

“This was nice to see, absolutely. Big praise also to the managers who have invested a lot in developing a philosophy for this club. Everybody in this club, Matt Hale, Matt Crocker, all the coaches around this team, the players, amazing – and this is the reward, an outstanding season.”