Forgotten former Southampton star could get first breakthrough in England | OneFootball

Former Southampton prodigy Joe Andrews could finally get his anticipated breakthrough in English football, with Norwich City eyeing his fine work in non-league.

Southampton pride themselves on being one of the finest producers of talent in the world. Indeed, there have been some incredible names come through the Southampton academy, including Alan Shearer, Gareth Bale and Matt Le Tissier.

However, there are also those players who come through the Southampton academy without truly making it. While it is a difficult decision for the Saints to make, sometimes they have no option but to release players who don't quite make the cut.

Famously, it can come back to haunt clubs when players they released go on to be stars. Now, the Saints are at risk of this happening with a former young player of theirs.

Forgotten former Southampton star could get first breakthrough in England

According to a report from Football Insider, Joe Andrews has been a "revelation" since joining non-league side Chippenham. So much so, that the likes of Norwich City, Coventry, Peterborough and Swansea are eyeing his signature from the National League South club.

Despite passing the 11 year mark at Southampton, Andrews never made a first team appearance. Therefore, Saints fans might be forgiven for not knowing who the Welshman is.

That said, if he does make his breakthrough to a Championship club like Norwich City, then the Saints risk hearing about his name in a bittersweet manner. Indeed, they could face Andrews in the second tier of English football next season, just a short time after releasing him as a youngster.

As it stands, Andrews is making his way up the Welsh youth system. He has already made his debut for the Wales U19 team, so he is on track to be a fully-fledged Welsh international in the not-so-distant future.

Playing in the Championship would certainly give Andrews the pedestal he needs to accelerate his career. If this is the case, then it would be a shame that the Saints didn't notice his potential at the time.