Southampton youngster Christoph Klarer has revealed the club are keeping a close eye on him during his loan spell this season.
The 19-year-old, who has been at Southampton since 2016 when he joined from Rapid Wien U16, is currently on loan at SKN St. Pölten in the Austrian Bundesliga.
He’s only managed three league games for the Austrian side this season, with them currently bottom of the table but only a point from safety.
Nonetheless, Klarer insists it’s been a positive experience for him, and the Saints are keeping a close eye on any progress he makes.
“The step into adult football was very important for my development,” he told Weltfussball.
“I trained with Southampton but wasn’t in the squad yet because we have many excellent central defenders.
“I was also very well received here, and the first impressions of the new coach Robert Ibertsberger are also very good.
“It was a breath of fresh air instantly! I’m convinced that we’ll get away from the last place when we play again.”
While his career is yet to get going, Klarer has already had experience of being around the seniors at Southampton.
A first-team appearance is yet to materialise but, he has had the privilege of working with the club’s first-team stars in training.
Of those players, the departed Virgil van Dijk and current fan favourite Danny Ings top the list of those to have made an impression.
“He (Van Dijk) was insane. Even when he only gave 10%, he was outstanding,” he added.
“He was already one of the best central defenders then and is now perhaps the best central defender in the world.
“(Ings) was already enormously valuable to us last season when we were fighting against relegation.
“He’s also an extremely team-oriented player, and as a guy, he’s kept his feet firmly on the ground.
“In one on one situations, Danny is world-class, and he gives 100 per cent in every training session. One can only learn from such people.”
