Stuart Armstrong could reportedly leave Ralph Hasenhuttl’s Saints after playing just 22 minutes of Premier League football this season.
On paper, Southampton’s Stuart Armstrong looks like a purpose-built midfielder designed for a Ralph Hasenhuttl side.
He’s got bags energy, doesn’t shy away from a challenge and loves a shot from range too. As recently as 2016/17, he fired home 17 goals as Celtic won the domestic treble.
So claims from The Sun (18 August, page 61) saying that Armstrong could leave on loan just a year after joining The Saints from Celtic in a £7 million deal has left a few fans scratching their heads.
After all, Armstrong was expected to be a key player during Hasenhuttl’s first full season in charge, potentially forming a hard-running midfield trio alongside Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and James Ward-Prowse.
Though the Scotland international is still stuck on the sidelines, playing just 22 minutes of football in Southampton’s first two games of the 2019/20 campaign. He impressed off the bench against Liverpool in Saturday’s 2-1 defeat but even that might not be enough to win over the former RB Leipzig boss.
Who knows, maybe Armstrong would benefit from a short-term move away from the South Coast, returning next summer with his confidence sky-high. But this feels like the beginning of an end for a player who promised so much in red and white.