Matt Targett compares Ryan Sessegnon to Gareth Bale

By Matt Law, Football EditorPublished: 19 February 2018 2:42 PM

On-loan Southampton defender Matt Targett claims that Ryan Sessegnon is "right up there" with Luke Shaw and Gareth Bale in terms of talent.

On-loan Southampton defender Matt Targett has claimed that Ryan Sessegnon is "right up there" with Luke Shaw and Gareth Bale in terms of talent.

Targett is currently on loan at Fulham from Southampton, and he was part of the Saints set-up when Shaw and Bale were coming through the system at St Mary's.

When asked whether Sessegnon compares to any of the talents that he has seen at close quarters, Targett paid tribute to the qualities of the 17-year-old, who has scored 12 times in all competitions for the Cottagers this season.

"He's going to have a great future in front of him. He's a massive threat and to score over 10 goals already in the Championship for any midfielder that's good, but he's 17," The Independent quotes Targett as saying. "It's a massive achievement and he's got a massive future in front of him.

"He's definitely right up there with the likes of Luke Shaw, Gareth Bale, you could even put. The main thing for him is he has a lot of years ahead of him, he needs to keep working hard, keep his feet on the ground and I'm sure he'll have a bright future.

"He's so down to earth, very grounded and he's a top professional which sets him apart from the rest."

Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal are all believed to be admirers of Sessegnon, who has moved into a more advanced position from left-back during the 2017-18 campaign.