Three goals in five games and more plaudits than you can shake a guitar at – is it any wonder Shane Long has been named Southampton’s player of the month?
The Republic of Ireland striker has been wowing fans and pundits alike with his form this month and Martin O’Neill will be delighted to see the Tipperary man hitting such a vein of form so close to Euro 2016.
As he demonstrated with dramatic aplomb against Germany in November, Long has always been capable of moments of magic, but his failure to start for Ireland suggested O’Neill was looking for more consistency from the 29 year old.
That appears to have arrived just in time for the European Championships. Since scoring in the 2-2 draw with Slovakia, Long has found the net three times for the Saints – against Newcastle, Aston Villa and Manchester City.
However, it has been his support play – as demonstrated in Sunday’s 2-1 win at Tottenham – that sets Long apart.
Congratulations to @ShaneLong7, who fans have voted as #SaintsFC's Player of the Month for April! 👏 pic.twitter.com/uN8kIly6M4
— Southampton FC (@SouthamptonFC) May 9, 2016
Whether that is enough to earn Long the lone front spot in France remains to be seen, but there are not exactly a queue of strikers challenging him at the moment (despite Robbie’s goal-scoring return).
