With relegation haunting the parish of St Mary’s, it might not be the omen Ruben Selles was looking for but an exciting next generation of talent can offer Southampton some solace if they do slide out of the Premier League.
The Saints are one win from a place in the FA Youth Cup final for the first time since 2005, which also happens to be the last time they went down from the top flight.
Back then, they lost the final to Ipswich but the rich yield including Theo Walcott, Adam Lallana and Gareth Bale, came through, moved on to bigger things and enhanced the club’s reputation of youth development stretching back decades.