Harrison Reed is finally reaching his potential

Harrison Reed joined the Southampton academy aged eight, coming through at the same time as current Saints’ captain James Ward-Prowse.

But he has gone on a much different journey to the England international and is now excelling under Scott Parker at Fulham.

It has taken him longer than most to earn consistent minutes at a club, after going on multiple loans at the likes of Norwich City and Blackburn Rovers in the Championship. Opportunities at Southampton were few and far between.

The midfielder broke into the first team at St Mary’s in 2013, but went on to feature just 30 times for the club under a number of different managers.

It took Reed until the following December to earn his first Premier League start for the club in a dominant 3-0 victory against Everton at St Mary’s under Ronald Koeman, although after that point, he went onto feature just eight times, mainly off the bench as he tried to final regular game time on the south coast.

Reed made 26 appearances for the Cottagers last season on his loan spell as they earned promotion to the Premier League. He signed a four year contract with an option of a fifth.

His busy and tenacious nature is perfect for the mould of team which Parker is starting to build at Craven Cottage. He flies into tackles, gives opponents no time on the ball and is a progressive passer which also suits the Whites as they like to play on the counter attack, particularly on their travels.

He was involved in a great battle in the midfield against Yves Bissouma last night in Fulham’s goalless draw against Brighton who himself, doesn’t mind a tackle and shares many similar attributes to that of Reed and it was a fascinating battle between the two all evening at the Amex Stadium.

The 26-year-old commits clever tactical fouls to help break up counter attacks and his all round play makes him a vital cog in the Fulham machine and despite this, he has picked up just two yellow cards to date, with none since the 2-1 win at Leicester at the back end of November.

The Worthing-born midfielder is starting to build a great understanding with Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa at the heart of the Fulham’ midfield, with Reed being the one to sit the furthest back, allowing the Frenchman to get forward and support the attacks, knowing he will have the former Southampton man there for cover.

He has also been part of a Fulham side have been much improved defensively in recent times which has helped the club  pick up some more results, predominately draws, something which the side will need to work on and start pushing these results into wins if they have any desire of avoiding an instant return to the Championship.

While he was afforded limited chances at Southampton, many knew there was always a good player there who could excel at the highest level and it was just a matter of finding the right club at the right time.

In Fulham, Reed has definitely found this and he is sure to play a crucial role between now and the end of the season.

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