He is the scholar who became a Saint and, at the age just of 20 years and 181 days, already a Premier League record holder.

Not only is Gavin Bazunu the youngest first-choice goalkeeper in the Premier League but no keeper in the competition’s entire history has ever started his club’s first three Premier League games at such a tender age.

Bazunu was also previously Shamrock Rovers’ youngest ever player (aged 16 years and 109 days) and a full Republic of Ireland international while still a teenager, with his debut year peaking last November with a penalty save to deny Cristiano Ronaldo.

Southampton face Manchester United on Saturday and half an hour in Bazunu’s company is sufficient to understand why Ralph Hasenhuttl was so sure that he was mentally as well as technically ready for regular Premier League football following a £15 million move this summer from Manchester City.

“I concentrate on the off-field, and the mentality part of football, just as much as I do on the pitch,” explains Bazunu. “To be mentally strong, and to really understand how your brain and your mind works is just as important.

“One of the biggest points for me is reading. Psychology books - just really to understand and keep my brain active. I do a lot of research into different mental studies. As a goalkeeper, you are exposed to so many highs and lows and so to stay level-headed, I think, is a big attribute.”

So what has he been reading lately?

“I’ve read two books by Tim Grover called Relentless and Winning. They were really good. Also some stuff from Malcolm Gladwell. Tim Grover is more motivation and Malcolm Gladwell is more psychology - but I’m trying to get the best of both to be as educated as I can be.”

And what can be applied to performing in front of tens of thousands of fans inside a stadium as well as millions behind a screen?

“On the pitch, you have to always be in the zone and have a really high intensity of concentration,” he says. “Sometimes emotions can get in the way and cloud your judgement. To have a really focused mind is key and not be swayed by emotions, the atmosphere or the conditions of the game.

“The most important thing is to listen to people who you trust and have your best interests at heart: the staff here, the goalkeeper coach, the manager. Everything outside of that is just an opinion.

“It [the reading] has come more from my own personal interests and a massive part from my mum. We have really good conversations. She sometimes tells me to slow down, enjoy the process, not get too hung up on the end results.” 

The parental influence is easily sensed.

Bazunu’s dad, Green, was a football fanatic and introduced a six-year-old Gavin to the sport when he joined Shamrock Rovers. Bazunu was soon practicing all hours, whether on the streets of the Firhouse district of Dublin where he grew up, or in more organised training sessions at Shamrock, where he was initially a prolific goalscorer. Sickness to a team-mate when he was “11 or 12” opened the door to a first match between the posts and, within four years, he was training full-time for Shamrock with senior players as part of a programme that combined full-time schooling at the Ashfield College in Dublin. His mum, Cara, was a major driving force in ensuring that education remained a huge priority to the extent that he even started a sports science degree after moving to Manchester City in 2019.

While the other academy scholars might drift off into the city centre for afternoon shopping, Bazunu was still studying. “I was doing 20-25 hours a week of education on top of training every day at Manchester City,” he says. “It was difficult at times, sitting inside and seeing other lads going out, but I knew it would stand me in good stead. It was definitely worth it.” He passed the Irish equivalent of A-levels (the Leaving Certificate) and had started his course at Manchester Metropolitan University before Covid struck.

He believes that being exposed to men’s football from the age of 15 was critical to his development. “There will always be those who want to put their arm around you, and also those who want to do the opposite,” he says. “The team were protective. Before I knew it, I was 16 and ready to step in and exposed to the difficulties and challenges of being a professional footballer.”

Such early experience also made life inside the Manchester City academy initially challenging and he found himself yearning for senior football where there was more at stake in the matches. “I think once you get that taste and hunger you just want to play, and do it again,” he says. “You can’t match those environments … the highs and lows, playing twice a week sometimes, playing in front of big crowds.”

Bazunu would spend the 2020-21 season on loan at Rochdale followed by last season at Portsmouth, where he played 44 matches and was voted player of the season. Southampton duly made their move and, while leaving City was clearly a big decision, Hasenhuttl’s commitment to young players proved decisive. “The biggest persuasion was the opportunity to compete to play in the Premier League,” he says. “That’s the dream of any kid and I felt like coming to Southampton was going to give me a really good foundation to do that.”