Southampton Coach Praises Nigeria-Eligible Lesley Ugochukwu’s Potential

Southampton’s new head coach, Ivan Juric, has praised Lesley Ugochukwu, who is on loan from Chelsea, and shared plans to use the Nigeria-eligible midfielder more in the second half of the season.

Southampton is currently last in the Premier League and seems likely to be relegated to the EFL Championship by the end of the season.

Ugochukwu was sent on loan to Southampton in August to help him grow as a player, but he has struggled to get playing time, starting only three out of 19 games. He didn’t play at all in Southampton’s last four matches under former manager Russell Martin. However, he has been brought back into the team under Juric, who took over on December 21st.

Juric dismissed rumors that Ugochukwu might end his loan early and praised the young midfielder, saying, “I want him to stay here. He has great potential. Chelsea knows what they’re doing. He’s only 20 years old, and working with young players can be tough, but I think he has a lot of potential. He wasn’t playing before, but now he is, and I believe he can be very good.”

Juric also highlighted other players, like Kamaldeen Sulemana, as examples of young talent who are improving. He stressed that he plans to work with all his players, including Ugochukwu, to help them perform better.