Southampton star still belongs to Ivan Juric's plans despite terrible debut | OneFootball

Ivan Juric backs Gavin Bazunu to succeed at Standard Liege after a nightmare debut.

Well, people believe that a first impression is often a lasting impression. While one could argue against it, a significant chunk of football fans also develop different expectations from players only by watching their first game.

Going by those benchmarks, Southampton's emerging keeper Gavin Bazunu might have rarely pleased any Standard Liege fan on his debut. Understandably, because the 22-year-old shot-stopper let four goals in his first outing itself.

Factor in Aaron Ramsdale's Bournemouth masterclass and Bazunu knows he is already facing a goalkeeping competition at Southampton. At this point, falling down the pecking order at his new team would be the last thing Bazunu would want.

Southampton star still belongs to Ivan Juric's plans despite terrible debut

Fortunately for him, he hasn't lost Ivan Juric's trust amidst his recent struggles.

This is due to the fact that Juric still counts Bazunu as a key player for Southampton in the long run. Ahead of the next matchday, Juric motivated Bazunu to learn from his mistakes and rediscover his best form.

As quoted by the Daily Echo, Juric said: "He has to come back here and play like he played before the injury."

Following an unlucky commencement of his loan spell, these comments would definitely lift Bazunu's morale. Plus, it was hardly a year ago when he used to assume the goalkeeping responsibilities for the Saints.

In any sport, making a successful comeback is difficult and football isn't much different from the above statement. Hence, every player needs some inspiring examples throughout their journey, and who better than his promising teammate, Kamaldeen Sulemana.

The latter witnessed enough struggling phases at Southampton regarding his form and injury issues. Still, Sulemana didn't give up and scored an important goal against Bournemouth, as a result.