Nathan Redmond is being backed as a key player for Southampton this season.

The 24-year-old winger has been in terrific form since the start of the Premier League season.

While he had a poor spell last season, Redmond has matured and is ready to show his quality. And his Saints manager agrees.

"He's taken on a lot of information," Mark Hughes said to the Daily Echo.

"Nathan is a young man who has got undoubted talent but is a young man who maybe lost his way a little bit and lost a bit of confidence.

"He's in a good place at the moment and I think that showed with the way he's engaged in the game and is trying to affect the game.

"He's always demanding the ball which is a sign of a player who has got a lot of confidence in what he's trying to do.

"We have got to maintain that level of confidence in Nathan and if we do he can be a big factor for us."