JUST IN: Adam Armstrong finally speaks on his career decision to leave Southampton this summer.

FORWARD Adam Armstrong outlined his hope to remain at Saints next season and insisted any rumours

about him have been “totally false”.

The 26 year old has scored just four goals in 66 games for the club in all competitions since a £15million move

in the summer of 2021.

Armstrong was linked with a loan exit at the beginning of this campaign but, as the Daily Echo confirmed,

the reports were untrue and the former Newcastle man remained at the club.

After a promising pre-season, Armstrong was unable to replicate the form when it mattered and

now reports elsewhere have linked next season’s Championship rivals Ipswich Town with interest.

However, asked about his immediate future, Armstrong told the Daily Echo: “I want to stay,

it doesn’t matter what happens to the club. I want to stay and hopefully do well for this club.

“There’s always a lot of rumours and the rumours that have been out about me have been totally false,

so I don’t know where that’s come from. That is what it is but I’m looking forward to finishing the season strong.”

The former Blackburn Rovers hitman netted 28 times in his last Championship season before a St Mary’s

move but a return to the division with Saints has not changed his goalposts.

“I always think that (I can help) for every season anyway, you go into pre-season wanting to do your best –

I haven’t got it in my mind at the minute,” he said.

Armstrong’s role has changed massively since he took the number nine shirt from departing Danny Ings,

prompting joyous comparisons with his opening-day goal at Everton.

The striker has become more of a defensive winger on the left-hand side – almost wholly due to his lack of

goalscoring prowess in the Premier League but impressive industry.

“It’s been eye-opening,” Armstrong said, of his Premier League spell.

“You get different managers who have different opinions and see you in a different way.

“I haven’t played striker in a while and it’s a new position that I’ve gotten used to.”

It has also been all change off the pitch for the family man,

who welcomed his first child to the world alongside his long-term partner in November 2022.

“It’s been good, everything is going well and I’m taking the dad-life pretty well,” Armstrong said with a smile.

“It’s been eye-opening, you don’t know what to expect but it’s the best thing in the world.”

It has been a chance for Armstrong to take his mind away from work – a torrid season on the pitch –

but the focus quickly shifts back to football.

Armstrong attempts to explain scenes at Nottingham Forest last week,

where the players were left silently staring through their travelling supporters at full time.

Saints had been beaten once again by their direct relegation rivals by just one goal,

this time losing 4-3 at City Ground – although it could have been more – and this time basically fatal.

“It’s been the same every game. We go into every game trying to win,

we’ve been near the bottom for the whole season so every game has been tough,” Armstrong said.

“It was one of them things (at full time), we knew it was a must-win but the last few have all been must-win and we haven’t.

“It was just that everyone was a bit down, which is normal being down the bottom of the table.

One of those nights where everything was silent on the pitch.”