THE England squad have hardly set foot on home soil again and it seems clubs are moving in for Southampton’s star players.

Today it looks likely 18-year-old defender Luke Shaw will be the first of several players who may leave the Saints.

The England player will have a medical today, it is reported, with Manchester United.

Few fans will begrudge the player, nor his team mates, for chasing the big money and the chance to play in Europe in the Champions League, yet quite a few wonder how a club like Southampton with its superb academy and training facilities can ever hope to hold on to the talent it nurtures and creates.

And if the club cannot keep the players will it ever be able to challenge the top teams for cup glory itself ?

It’s a conundrum that Saints fans will have put out of their minds during the few weeks that England have been in Brazil, but now they will be looking to the new season.

The good news is that the club will be cash rich and can bring in star players from elsewhere.

But it’s never quite the same as home grown talent.