Southampton vs Aston Villa

18 / saints
then did his medicals
all day Wednesday.
“He watched us play
Manchester City
and then did a little
session on Thursday
and then he’s into a
Premier League game.
“It’s quite a story and I
didn’t envisage putting
him on for so long, but
we felt we’ve got to
get him up to speed,
which was a brave
decision considering the
magnitude of the game,
but we feel that once he
gets up to speed we will
see a real quality player.”
Introduced with the
scores level, Alcaraz
watched James Ward-
Prowse win the game for
Saints with a textbook
free-kick 12 minutes
from time – his second
goal of the day.
Alcaraz had already
expressed his admiration
for his new captain
at his unveiling.
“I really like Ward-
Prowse’s game – I
don’t know if I’ve
said that right!” he
laughed, sheepishly.
“I really like the way he
plays because he has the
same dynamic as me in
terms of driving forward. I
think it’ll be very helpful
for me to watch him and
have him as a teammate.
“He’s very good at freekicks!
I really like his
shooting technique.
I’m going to learn a lot
with him by my side.”
“My attributes include
shooting from outside the
box, headers and getting
into the box,” Alcaraz
said of his own game.
“That’s what I really like.
“I enjoy linking up with my
teammates, I try to push
forward and drive towards
goal. I think those are
some of my attributes.
“I’d like to improve my
game and maybe be
calmer on the pitch, so
that I develop in the
best way possible.
“I always want to keep my
cool and the club will help
me do that. I’d say that’s
also one of the reasons
why I’ve come here.”