Before travelling up north to face Sunderland in the Premier League, Southampton's Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg has spoken out about his aim to claim all three points prior to an extremely important fixture - Manchester United in the EFL Cup final.
A win at Wembley would secure a trophy for a cabinet in dire need of one, but Hojbjerg is willing his teammates to grab a practise win against the Black Cats this weekend.
He referred to the away game as a "groundstone to get a good result against Manchester in the final" - which is hard to argue with since Saints capitulated last time out at home to West Ham.
Last chance to impress
Not only is it an opportunity to get back on winning ways; every player will have the chance to prove they're deserving of a starting place later this February.
One Dane is hungry to secure his starting role - after all, his time has been split between first eleven and the bench - simply saying he's sure "the coach knows what everybody has to give to the team".
Hojbjerg also used his interview time to deflect the attention off himself, as he goes on to state "we have been together seven months now" building a need "to trust each other".
He further believes that "the ones who get the time need to use it well" - wise words from the former-Bayern Munich man.
Words of wisdom
This isn't the first and won't be the last time we hear intuitive words from Hojbjerg; his post-match talks are often crowned as examples of a man knowledgeable not just in football - but in life.
21-year-old has this is promising viewing, or hearing, for Saints fans - intelligence off the pitch will always find its way on to the field.
Unfortunately the season hasn't seen the best of Saints' summer signing, though it could easily be said that there are many years for such a young talent to prove this previous point.
An all-round spectacle will probably sum up Hojbjerg's future performances; one prospect that could excite the Southampton faithful.