NATHAN Jones has needed to get a good look at his own senior players before he focusses too much on anything else.

That is why the Spain winter training trip has been organised – an isolated camp to fully assess all of his options ahead of his tenure really starting.

Jones has already taken his first Premier League match but that was Liverpool away and the test really starts come the end of this month.

But with that all on, Jones had still taken the time to watch under-18 and B team matches before the senior squad embarked for Andalucia.

The Welshman sees the value in youth football and its players and there are seven with him in Spain, helping to make up the sessions.

Jones is given a soft launch as boss with his first game at St Mary’s being an EFL Cup round of 16 match versus League One Lincoln City.

Without looking to disrespect his opposition, fringe players and young stars have every chance of being able to impress if the circumstances are right.

We take a look at all of the youngsters training with Jones and the first-team in Spain, assess their path and what their next steps could look like.

Daily Echo:

Oliver Wright

Goalkeeper Wright was a later addition to Jones’s camp, not initially included in the Saints group named on the club website.

He has been a strong performer for the academy and is one of a talented bunch of keepers – which is one of the reasons now Chelsea prospect Eddie Beach was frozen out.

Wright, 20, has 12 appearances for the B team under his belt so far this season and will hope to stay with Saints beyond the summer.

They did sign Everton shot-stopper Jak Stewart to eventually provide competition, while Wright may seek a first spell in senior professional football soon.

Wright is expected to rejoin Horseman and the B team following his return from Spain.

Lewis Payne

Payne made his first-team debut under former boss Ralph Hasenhuttl and was the only one of three debutants to start in the EFL Cup clash versus Cambridge United.

The right-back had been playing at centre-back for the under-18s team last season, alongside being key for the B team, while they won the Premier League South.

The 18-year-old’s current contract is set to expire at the end of this season but he is likely to be given a professional deal by the club, if not wrapped up already.

Payne, who often captains the under-21s for Dave Horseman, has been included on the bench in Premier League ties but awaits his top-flight debut.

Although not huge in stature, Payne is a fierce defender and has the appetite for rough and tumble. That much was shown in his debut for the club.

Payne could remain with Jones for the upcoming matches versus Lincoln City and Brighton & Hove Albion, but likely only if Tino Livramento is not ready for inclusion.

Nico Lawrence

Lawrence has been impressing Jones immensely during their week in Spain and could find himself in the matchday squad for the EFL Cup versus Lincoln City this month.

The 20-year-old only signed for Saints from non-league Glebe FC in February but is a Rolls Royce of a centre-back. There was even a game or two where he played in midfield.

Lawrence passes the eye-test on every viewing for the Daily Echo. He is tidy, intelligent and commanding. It is no surprise he was on the bench for Ruben Selles last month.

It often takes longer for central defenders to make a mark on the professional game – Lawrence could follow a similar trajectory to Dynel Simeu, 20, impressing in League Two.

Lawrence was in academies at Crystal Palace and Fulham before falling out and into independent regimes at 14.

He has played every minute he has been available for Saints in Premier League 2 and it is likely his 18 month contract, which expires next summer, will be extended.

Lawrence could be rewarded by Jones and remain with the first-team for the EFL Cup clash but the Welshman already has four fit senior centre-backs.

Thierry Small

Young Small has had a more tumultuous 12 months than most players on this list. The 18-year-old was given his first start for the club in the FA Cup at the start of the year.

However, that clash with Coventry City ended at half-time for the left-back, as Hasenhuttl hauled him and Adam Armstrong off.

Small did not feature again for the rest of the season and this upset him – being a highly ambitious player, who signed from Everton last summer to play senior games.

When he returned for pre-season for conditioning and testing, Small was one of the fittest players in the entire squad.

Hasenhuttl took him to Austria for the pre-season tour but it emerged he badly needed senior minutes and he embarked on a loan to League One Port Vale.

He has now returned to Saints having played just over 90 league minutes and will need to revaluate what comes next – Vale even tried to play him up front.

Small is too good for under-21s football but in the sink or swim of the men’s game, he still struggles to stay afloat.

He has plenty of time and the only pressure comes from himself, wanting to make his mark on the game perhaps before he is truly ready.

It is likely Small will go back to the B team, with Juan Larios ahead of him as back-up to Romain Perraud, but January could bring more options to the youngster.

Ryan Finnigan

Central midfielder Finnigan was introduced to the first-team scene very early and it helps gives the illusion that he is older than 19 – but he is not.

Hasenhuttl gave him a cameo debut during an FA Cup win over Shrewsbury Town in 2021, among heavy rotation, and placed him on the bench for the 9-0 defeat at Manchester United.

It was then back to under-18s football being his main focus with bit-part roles in the B team until this campaign, where he has emerged as a key player for Horseman with Kegs Chauke out on loan.

Time remains on Finnigan’s side, and he has battled injury here and there to ensure his progress is not stunted. He is likely to return to the B team upon arrival in England.

Kamari Doyle

Youngster Doyle is just 17 years old but signed his first professional contract in advance of his birthday this summer and is a shining prospect of the academy.

The enigmatic central or attacking midfielder was first pictured in Saints gear with James Ward-Prowse and director of football Matt Crocker as a schoolboy.

Since then, his game has been somewhat reminiscent of the St Mary’s captain. He exploded into the picture last season after scoring a Ward-Prowse-Esque free-kick as one of a four-goal haul versus Birmingham under-18s.

Doyle has four goals and three assists across 10 games for the two premier Saints academy teams this season.

With his immediate future already secured, it is now down to him to show the right attitude and continue his strong progress on the pitch.

Doyle is likely to be made to wait a little bit longer for his first-team debut but it is a big show of support by Jones to include him in the Spain training camp squad.

Jimmy-Jay Morgan  

Morgan is the youngest of the lot but potentially will be the first to see action for Jones, if the situation permits versus Lincoln City.

The 16-year-old England youth international has been in red-hot form this season after telling the Daily Echo he wants to score or create 40 goals a season.

Well, he has got 13 goals and seven assists across the B team and under-18s already and only three of those g/a came with the younger age group.

Morgan is a versatile forward who can play anywhere across an attacking line but with cool finishing he is earmarking himself as a number nine.

He was the one who scored twice at Fratton Park versus a senior Portsmouth side earlier this season, and Morgan was on the bench for the EFL Cup clash with Sheffield Wednesday.

As Morgan is only 16, the FA cannot ratify a professional contract until his next birthday. Rest assured, Saints have worked hard to already secure his future.

It is believed he has pre-signed professional terms in advance of his 17th birthday and academy directors have ensured this club remains the most attractive place for his talent.