Had Romeo Lavia not suffered a serious hamstring injury against Chelsea in August, who knows how highly the football world would be talking about him.

It seems likely that at the very least he would be heading to Qatar with Belgium and quite possibly in the running for the Premier League's Young Player of the Year. All of this guessing means very little though.

The overarching point is far more important: Lavia is a rare talent and it's no coincidence that Saints' best spell of the season came with him consistently starting and consistently performing.

READ MORE: Saints Mid-Season Squad Assessment: The Goalkeeping Department

In Lavia's absence, the entire team suffered as Ibrahima Diallo once again showed himself to be far from good enough while James Ward-Prowse has struggled mightily without a reliable central midfield partner, leading to his England snub for the imminent World Cup. 

Ainsley Maitland-Niles has provided a much-needed extra option and while letting Oriol Romeu walk away in the summer now looks to be an oversight, there is still excitement coming out of Nathan Jones' midfield.

The new boss desperately needs Ward-Prowse to return to his best but he now has two months to work with the Saints captain and his fellow midfielders ahead of the rest of the campaign.

A full assessment of the Saints midfield, both the good and bad, can be viewed by clicking on the link below:

https://streamyard.com/4g7g4mqeixzd

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