SAINTS defender Armel Bella-Kotchap came off the bench to make his senior Germany debut in Monday’s 3-3 draw against England at Wembley.

The 20-year-old was brought on for the latter stages of the Nations League contest.

England were condemned to relegation from the Nations League's top tier with Friday's meek 1-0 loss in Italy and things looked set to get worse as Ilkay Gundogan's penalty and a wondrous Kai Havertz strike silenced Wembley.

But the home team dug deep and roared ahead as Luke Shaw and Mason Mount efforts were complemented by a Harry Kane spot-kick, only for a late Nick Pope error to be gobbled up by Havertz at the end of a frenetic encounter.

Having signed from VfL Bochum in June this summer, centre-back Bella Kotchap has not missed a minute in his club’s past five Premier League encounters – forming an impressive partnership alongside Ghanaian Mohammed Salisu.

He is set to be involved when Saints host Everton in the top flight on Saturday (3pm).

A message from the Editor

Thank you for reading this article - we appreciate your support in reading the Daily Echo.

Subscribing to the Echo means you have unrestricted access to the latest news, features and Saints coverage - all with an advertising-light website.

You will also have full access to Saintsplus, your new home for Southampton FC tactical analysis, features and much, much more.

Don't just take my word for it - subscribe today.

Follow the latest breaking news in the Southampton area by searching Southampton News - Breaking News and Incidents on Facebook

Follow the latest court and crime news on our dedicated group by searching Hampshire Court and Crime News on Facebook