“I think he’s going to be an absolute star” – Ex-Chelsea star Scott Minto offers rave review of Southampton star as Blues suffer 2-1 loss
Former Chelsea defender Scott Minto has tipped Southampton midfielder Romeo Lavia for a bright future following his goal against the Blues at St. Mary's on August 30.
The Saints were trailing 1-0 before Lavia's superb equalizer prompted a comeback from the hosts as Adam Armstrong scored the winner. The result condemned Thomas Tuchel's side to a second consecutive away defeat.
All over at St Mary's. ⏱
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Lavia has been extremely impressive since his £11 million move from Manchester City in the summer, having started every Premier League game for the Saints so far this season. The teenager's goal was a thing of beauty as he picked the ball up on the edge of the area and fired a shot past Eduord Mendy's near post.
The 18-year-old defensive midfielder is already impressing many with his solid, energetic displays and Minto was full of praise for the Belgium U21 international. The presenter initially slammed Chelsea's defending for Lavia's stunning strike, as he told TalkSPORT:
“Lavia is completely free on the edge of the box, I think it’s Mason Mount who tries to come out, but there’s no way he should have been allowed that amount of time on the edge of the box.
“To be fair to the youngster, he’s been superb so far in a Saints shirt and I think he’s going to be an absolute star. That was a really good finish of a striker, never mind a holding midfielder.”
What a strike 🎯
Romeo Lavia cancels out Raheem Sterling's goal with this superb hit.
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Southampton teenager describes 'amazing feeling' following comeback win over Chelsea
Many questioned the Saints' decision to sign someone who has never made a top-flight appearance for over £10 million. But Lavia has already caught the eye for the South Coast club.
Following his first professional goal, the teenage midfielder was asked about what it felt like to not only beat Chelsea, but also score for his new club. He told BT Sport (as per BBC Sport):
"It is an amazing feeling to bounce back from the defeat at the weekend. I have not scored in a long time, so what a feeling to score here at home and in front of my family as well.
"I'll be honest I don't really score like that even in training but today was my lucky day, it went in."
He added:
"We don't stop. It is about the spirit of the team, we always communicate and tell each other to keep pushing to the end. We are building a great core in the team, we keep building."
Romeo Lavia is the first player younger than Peep Show to score a PL goal