Southampton's emerging attacker making waves on the international stage | OneFootball

Promising Southampton centre forward Rento Takaoka secured a valuable point for Japan's U20 team.

Currently, every Southampton fan would agree that the club has lost their momentum at a crucial time. Compared to the previous months, the February fixture list was kind for the Saints in all honesty.

Add to that a narrow but essential win against Ipswich Town, the ongoing month couldn't have started any better. Regardless, a frustrating FA Cup result and an exhausting derby performance have flipped a good momentum in a matter of weeks.

Now, if you believe that the remaining month could yield some pleasing results, then you may become less optimistic watching the upcoming schedule. The reason being, Southampton will welcome Brighton and then visit Chelsea and Liverpool in the next couple of weeks.

Southampton's emerging attacker making waves on the international stage

Hence, many Southampton fans could be excused for tuning in to see the youth team play rather than witnessing Southampton's humiliating defeats again. Luckily, the young Saints have surpassed expectations to progress further in the Youth Cup.

On top of that, the Saints will smile further after knowing their teenage wonderkid's commendable performances. We are talking about Japan's emerging prospect Rento Takaoka who is turning heads with his Asian U20 Cup's displays.

A few days ago, Takaoka showed his remarkable finishing ability to avoid a defeat for his national team. Attempting a well-taken goal while trailing behind shows that Takaoka has the composure needed to thrive in English football.

I know it's early to set huge expectations from the 17-year-old but we have seen many Southampton talents fulfilling their sky-high potential. Thus, let's hope that the striker grows leaps and bounds to become an established Premier League starter in a few years.

For now, let's wish the best to Takaoka and Japan for their Asian U20 Cup campaign.