Stephens and Southampton to ride momentum into Premier League campaign

Jack Stephens hailed his team’s performance against Sevilla, as the Premier League season draws closer.

“We needed to react [to that] and make sure we put in a good performance in our last performance to build momentum,” he told the Official Southampton FC Website.

Southampton rebounded from a disappointing outing versus FC Augsburg to end their pre-season preparations on a high note.

Stephens, who was thrust into a starting role following Virgil van Dijk’s injury in January, has grown in confidence and is staking his claim in the starting line-up on the league’s opening day.

“It’s always nice to get a goal and that’s a bonus. But first and foremost for us as a defence a clean sheet is what we want,” he added. “It gives us something to build on for next week and the season coming forward.”

Southampton kicks off their season at St Mary’s when they host Swansea on Saturday.