Southampton teammate's tip to help Will Smallbone for winning Ivan Juric's trust | OneFootball

Kamaldeen Sulemana breaks down how his training routines impressed boss Ivan Juric to take notice and start him more than before.

Well, you can't help but admit that in an ideal world, Southampton man Will Smallbone would have been one of the best in his role. Now, not to say he isn't but you know the reality, right?

Simply put, if there's one thing that restricts him from reaching that level, it's his physicality issues.

A complete midfielder, having brilliant game abilities, yet his injuries have seen him unutilized for the Saints in the Premier League.

In my opinion, fans can hate boss Juric for many reasons, but not for his honest and unbiased verdicts. Recently, the Croatian was seen advising Smallbone to improve his physicality.

Know what happened? Juric's concern proved true as days later, Smallbone was excluded from Republic of Ireland's squad for injury issues.

Honestly, being unable to contribute your best despite having massive potential is a footballer's worst nightmare. That's why, it's high time Smallbone starts working physically on this grave issue.

Sulemana's comeback to motivate Smallbone for improving physique

And in his situation, who better than his teammate Sulemana to take inspiration from? After all, the forward has recently defeated these issues after an injury-inflicted season start.

As quoted by the Daily Echo, Sulemana stressed the intense workout that helped him earn a starting spot under Juric, saying: "His (Juric's) training sessions are harder than what we were used to doing. I was already training very hard with what he was giving to me. That's why I was able to impress him quickly."

Now, given Smallbone’s physicality, it’s unrealistic to expect him to adapt to such a rigorous training schedule immediately. Still, certainly, under a disciplined trainer like Juric, his improvement is certain.

Well, to say, we are not only at the end of this season but maybe at the end of Juric's Southampton tenure as well. Who knows? If Juric leaves, perhaps his greatest legacy will be unlocking the best version of Smallbone.