Martin Caceres sent a message to Claude Puel after his club debut for the U23 side against Chelsea.
Ok this was not exactly a great test for Caceres, Saints put out a strong side, including four internationals and only two players without any first team experience if you don't include goalkeeper Mouez Hassen who has experience in France., whereas Chelsea put out a team of youngsters, most of which will never kick a ball for Chelsea in the Premier League.
But you can only play against what is up against you and Caceres looked a class act, with the real test being his fitness and he showed that he is able to get through 90 minutes although he still has to get his sharpness honed.
This sent out a clear message to Claude Puel that he is ready to be in first team contention.
The Frenchman must now decide whether Caceres is up to a baptism of fire at White Hart Lane against Tottenham Hotspur, the problem Pule has is that although Yoshida and Stephens have formed a reasonable partnership in the past five weeks, the stark truth is that it is not one that is up to Premier League standards, for long periods in the 4 Premier League appearances they have played together it as looked tight, but in every game it has had lapses of concentration that has cost them dearly, the clean sheet at Sunderland apart, they have conceded 8 goals in the other trio of games and this can't go on.
Individually both Yoshida and Stephens can partner an experienced and quality central defender like Van Dijk, but together they are too prone to lapses, add the two cup games to the mix, Liverpool when on too many occasions we left an opponent unmarked when we weren't punished and Wembley where we were and Puel has a problem he needs to deal with, we just can't keep on outscoring sides as we did against Watford.
So is Caceres the man, I think that h has to be given that chance, his lack of sharpness will be more than compensated by his quality and positional sense and his ability to marshall the player who plays alongside him.
That leaves only two questions, is Spurs the right game to blood him and who should play alongside him ?
The obvious choice would be Yoshida as the man with experience, but then again we need to find out of Stephens can realise the potential that prompted us to buy him six years ago and has so far remained unfilled.
On one hand we know what we will get with Yoshida, that is a player who will make an error through a lapse in concentration at least once per game, on the other the unknown, can Stephens step up to the plate.