Southampton defender Mason Holgate endured a debut to forget at the weekend, but journalist Paul Brown has told GIVEMESPORT that the Saints still have a good player on their hands for one reason.

Russell Martin trusted the centre-back to come straight in to the starting 11 against Sunderland.

Southampton news - Mason Holgate

Holgate, who is earning £70k-a-week, signed for the Saints on loan from Premier League side Everton during the summer transfer window. The former Barnsley defender started for Southampton at the weekend, with the south coast club defeated by Sunderland by five goals to nil. It was certainly a debut that Holgate won't want to be thinking about during the international break, receiving a 5.4 FotMob rating, making him the lowest-rated outfield player on the pitch. Holgate hadn't been involved for Everton this campaign before making the move to St Mary's and was even struggling to make the squad in pre-season, so it's not a huge surprise that he wasn't at his best on Saturday.

It could be difficult for Holgate to find a guaranteed slot in Martin's side, with Taylor Harwood-Bellis signed on loan from Manchester City and Jack Stephens recently named captain. Holgate has been a key player for Everton at times during his career, but had fallen down the pecking order before his move to Southampton. Dropping down to the Championship could do him the world of good, despite a disappointing start, and journalist Brown has now provided some insight into what Southampton fans should expect from Holgate.

What has Brown said about Holgate and Southampton?

Brown has suggested that there is still a decent player in there with Holgate, but he needs to recapture the former he produced under Carlo Ancelotti. The journalist hints that Saints fans shouldn't be writing Holgate off just yet, and he should play his part this season.

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, he said: "I hope he manages to turn that around because there's still a decent player in there. He just needs to recapture some of the form that he showed for Carlo Ancelotti, which I think was the last time that Holgate really performed with any consistency. That is going back a little bit now but if he can rediscover that form I think Southampton have still got a good player on their hands who can do a bit for them this season."

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What's next for Southampton?

Martin now has a couple of weeks to get to work on the training ground to avoid another catastrophic defeat during the season. Southampton have a tricky run of games after the international break, facing Leicester City, Middlesbrough, and Ipswich Town in their next three fixtures. After that, the Saints host Leeds United to close off September, so it's certainly not going to be an easy month for Martin and his Southampton side. The international break may have come at a good time for the club, with Martin now able to work with his new signings, allowing them to understand the system ahead of the return of the Championship.