Ronald Koeman, the Southampton manager, delivered a little self-praise yesterday, when he credited his club for turning Shane Long, the Republic of Ireland international forward, into a complete striker.
Long, the former Cork City, Reading, West Bromwich Albion and Hull City forward, scored only five goals in the Barclays Premier League last season, his first at the club, but has doubled that total this term.
“I remember when Shane came, I think in all aspects he has learnt a lot,” Koeman said. “We did a lot with Shane in a lot of aspects of football and I think he is more complete as a player, as a striker.
“His pace, his timing, his movements are full of confidence. It is a big example that you can still learn when you are 26, 27, 28. You can learn every day.
“It is a big example of how you can develop with the help of coaches and that is nice to see.
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“He was always really excited to come to Southampton and I remember talking to Shane about training sessions, ours are a little bit different to the usual English striker.
“He is really complete as a striker, in the box he is clever, he has a really good header, he makes it so difficult for the defenders because he is always on the move.”