SAINTS once again demonstrated the health of their academy as the under-21s drew 1-1 with Real Madrid on Wednesday evening in front of nearly 11,000 fans.

Abdul Okunola's late equaliser was a reward for their gritty defensive performance in the second half against a Real Madrid side that competes in Spain's third tier.

Thiago Pitarch, who was sitting on the bench against Juventus eight days ago, thought he had scored the winner at St Mary's when he fired in from the edge of the box.

But this Saints side, who are being prepped for senior football, were unwilling to allow that to be the case and ended the game with a strong resurgence.

We have picked out just three of the players who impressed us in the Premier League International Cup...

Saints secured a late 1-1 draw against Real Madrid on Wednesday evening. (Image: Luke Simcock/Southampton FC)

Tommy Dobson-Ventura

With several eyes on record-breaking goalscorer Nick Oyekunle, Saints had another player in their starting lineup who wrote himself into the history books last season.

While striker...