SAINTS winger Sam Amo-Ameyaw is set to feature for the under-21s this evening against West Ham United, revealed manager Russell Martin. 

Speaking ahead of his side's Championship trip to Middlesbrough, Martin praised the youngster, who signed his first professional contract earlier this season.

Amo-Ameyaw, 17, made his senior debut in the Premier League for Saints and has played 164 minutes across four appearances during this campaign.

However, the exciting former Spurs academy player hasn't featured in any of the last three games. He will now run out with Adam Ashgar's youth side. 

Asked by the Daily Echo about Amo-Ameyaw's involvement, Martin said: “He is playing with them tonight. We have a group of really talented you players with huge potential.

“To put him in the team right now would be unfair on him because we need to get through this period.

“We have a lot of options in that position now with Kamaldeen back and with Ryan Fraser in the building.

“It’s really important for that group that they train with us all the time and that they understand the demands of what it’s going to take. It’s also important that they don’t fall between the cracks.

"Carl Martin (coach) does a fantastic job of liaising with the sports science team to work out what his physical loads are and what he is missing out on. 

“We try and give him extra stuff to work on every day, as we do with Jayden (Meghoma), Kami (Doyle) and Tyler (Dibling) - the guys who train with us regularly."

Martin, who developed a reputation for trusting youngsters at Swansea City, added: "We assess when they need a game and when they don’t. 

"There will be times when Sam might feel like he is missing out on the first-team squad, but actually, it will be better for him to play 60, 70, 90 minutes - whatever it is - to maintain his development.

“That is part of why we are here. When I spoke with Jason (Wilcox) about taking the job, he said he was desperate to develop players through the academy.

“He has done that job at Manchester City and had a brilliant record with that. We just need to make sure that we don’t let anyone fall through the cracks and they get what they need from us.

“I’ve been really impressed with them - there will be times when they play for the under-21s and times where they play for the senior team.”