Shoot for the Stars: Southampton’s Sam McQueen

At Shoot! we are keeping a very close eye on the up-and-coming superstars within the world of football, making sure we are well aware of those footballers that will be taking the world by storm in a few year’s time.

Every week we aim to feature some of the brightest young footballers in the world and give you an idea about their greatest assets before they reach the top.

Having profiled Sheffield Wednesday’s George Hirst and West Bromwich Albion’s Kane Wilson, this week we head to the South Coast to take a look at Southampton’s Sam McQueen.

Sam McQueen, who came on for the injured Matt Targett against Burnley on Saturday, impressed with his ability to get up and down the left-hand side and cause the Clarets defence a number of problems.

The Englishman, born and educated in Southampton, joined the Saints academy all the way back in 2003, and has remained on the books ever since.

Playing in teams which included the likes of Luke Shaw and James Ward-Prowse, the 21-year-old developed well within the various academy teams, and finally got the chance for the senior team in an FA Cup tie back in 2014.

Although he has had to wait over two and half years for his next Saints appearance, the left-sided winger who, as he proved on Sunday, can also play left-back, spent the second half of last season on loan at Southend United, appearing 18 times and netting twice for the Shrimpers in League One.

However, in what is likely to be his proudest moment yet, McQueen delivered a stand-out performance on his Premier League debut.

After just 14 minutes, Targett pulled up with a hamstring injury, giving McQueen an opportunity he would have no doubt dreamt about.

And, for the remaining 76 minutes, he looked like an experienced professional who had played in the Premier League many-a-time before.

He took to the left-back task seamlessly, and provided an attacking threat throughout the match. He won the penalty from which Charlie Austin converted to give the Saints a three-goal cushion, and was a constant menace down the left-hand side.

However, he also did a good job defensively whenever Burnley came forward and, although the Saints did concede late on, McQueen has given Puel something to think about going forward.

It should not be at all surprising that a young player who has spent his career at Southampton flourished on the big stage – it’s been the way with many Saints graduates in the past.

McQueen is now being backed to make his full Southampton debut at the San Siro on Thursday night.

From being somebody very few knew in the footballing world, to playing against Inter Milan in European competition – what a few days it has been for Sam McQueen.

Based on his performance on Sunday, there’s plenty more to come from the 21-year-old, and he could well join the likes of Gareth Bale, Theo Walcott, and many others in developing into a top-quality player.