SAINTS continued to build towards their Premier League return with a 3-1 win over Montpellier on Saturday morning.

Goals from Kamaldeen Sulemana, Tyler Dibling and Taylor Harwood-Bellis ensured they secured a win over Ligue 1 opposition.

A total of 21 different players were used at UE Olot, with goalkeeper Alex McCarthy the only player to last the full 90 minutes.

The win capped off a pleasing week-long training camp in Spain which has seen two wins and a number of double training sessions.

Here are the key talking points from Southampton's pre-season win over Montpellier...

Three wins from three

The win saw Southampton maintain their three-game winning streak in pre-season. Although the result is far from the most important aspect in a friendly, winning breeds winning.

With every game so far, the level of opposition has improved, and in many aspects, so too have Southampton's performances.

Montpellier, who finished 12th in Ligue 1 last season, were restricted to large portions of the game without the ball.

Saints still have things to iron out. They were caught out in wide areas a few times while Martin voiced his dissatisfaction at certain elements of their performance.

However, at this stage, Saints are in a good position. They return to England next week for further friendlies against Oxford United and Millwall. 

Southampton have scored 13 goals in three pre-season gamesSouthampton have scored 13 goals in three pre-season games (Image: Southampton FC)

Bednarek takes first steps of pre-season

Defender Jan Bedanrek was involved for the first time in pre-season on Saturday. He played the first half before being replaced by Nathan Wood.

After a disappointing Euro 2024 campaign with Poland, Bednarek impressed on his Saints return.

The 28 year old was defensively solid and looked to clip inviting balls over the top for Southampton's attackers.

He nearly found Will Smallbone with one of those passes while another through-ball for Tyler Dibling lacked a bit of pace.

All in all, Bednarek laid a good foundation for pre-season with his outing against French opposition.

Jan Bednarek played 45 minutes on Saturday.Jan Bednarek played 45 minutes on Saturday. (Image: Matt Watson / Southampton FC)

Adam Armstrong not involved 

Goalscorer Adam Armstrong was the first Saints player to catch the eye in pre-season with his quickfire double against Eastleigh.

He only played 30 minutes on Wednesday against Bordeaux and missed this latest game entirely through illness.

In his absence, Dibling was selected to lead the line in the first half and marked his new role with a goal.

He raced onto Ronnie Edwards' excellent long ball before controlling and firing into the bottom corner.

Midfield three look very promising

Those tuning into Southampton's stream of the game will have lost count of how many times Martin shouted "Good, Joe."

Nigerian international Joe Aribo was eye-catching in midfield. The suffocating sun did little to zap his energy as he constantly pressed and retrieved the ball.

His partners Flynn Downes and Will Smallbone were also solid. Downes made a number of important tackles, although it was his soft foul which led to Wahbi Khazri's free-kick goal.

The trio played a full hour of football together and looked strong. Saints are in the market to strengthen their midfield, which can only be a further positive from this evidence.

Saints need penalty training

It's rather rare to see a team awarded two penalties in the same game. The chances of both efforts being saved is even more unlikely.

With Armstrong not on the field, Kamaldeen and Sekou Mara did little to push themselves higher in the penalty pecking order.

Kamaldeen took the first. The Ghanaian's effort lacked conviction and was met by Benjamin Lecomte.

Luckily for Kamaldeen, he was able to make use of his strongest asset, pace, to reach the rebound first and spare his blushes.

Mara watched that penalty from the bench but elected to try a similar technique, which resulted in the same outcome.

Mara had converted his spot kick against Eastleigh last week, but this time his tame attempt was saved easily and he wasn't afforded a second chance.