IRELAND'S NUMBER 1 Gavin Bazunu has admitted that Willy Caballero has been a 'real help' to him since joining Southampton from Manchester City in a £12million move this summer.
Caballero who is 20 years older than the Dubliner was a Bazunu's teammate at Manchester City and has helped the Irish keeper settle a St Mary's.
Bazunu was selected ahead of Alex McCarthy, and Caballero by Ralph Hasenhuttl in the 4-1 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur last weekend.
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Speaking to a newspaper based in Southampton called the Southern Daily Echo Bazunu said the Argentine has 'been brilliant'
“Willy has been brilliant, he claimed
“He is probably one of the players I am closest to in the group. I sit next to him in the changing room.
“One of the big things is we have both worked with the goalkeeper coach at Manchester City (Xabier Mancisidor), so we have both learned similar techniques and both think about the goalkeeper position in a similar way.
“That really helps.”
The former Shamrock Rovers keeper spent last season on loan at Portsmouth and managed to keep 16 cleans sheets for Southampton's rivals.
He also won the club's Players' Player and Player of the Season for his performances
When asked what was the most important aspect of going out on loan, he added, "
"The two loan spells, the biggest thing was just to get the game time. I’ve played almost 100 games now in professional football and I feel like that’s a really solid foundation to help me to step up to this next level."
Southampton welcome Leeds to St Mary’s in the Premier League on Saturday.
The Athletic: Willy Caballero has been given a new deal to continue as the third-choice goalkeeper and will act as a mentor to Gavin Bazunu. #SaintsFC pic.twitter.com/fDagx2sGja
— Southampton Page (@SouthamptonPage) June 22, 2022
