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Striker Charlie Austin has been told he can leave Southampton.
That is according to The Daily Mirrorwho report that the 29-year old has been informed, in no uncertain terms by his manager, Ralph Hasenhüttl that, if he wants to play regular football, he needs to find himself another club, with the Austrian saying “Charlie is very clear on the situation that in the summer he must find another option where he plays more often”.
Austin signed for Southampton in January 2016 after a fruitful spell with Queens Park Rangers, for whom he scored 45 goals in 82 appearances. However, his stay at St. Mary’s has been punctuated by frequent injuries, and he has managed just 20 goals in 76 appearances.
He has barely featured since the Austrian took over as manager of the club from Mark Hughes in December, and turned down a loan move to the Championship in January.
However, he now is set to be part of a summer clear-out by Hasenhüttl that is likely to include goalkeeper Fraser Forster and defender jack Stephens, as well as Wesley Hoedt, Cédric Soares, and Jody Clasie.
Andy is an exiled English football fan living in Cyprus. He loves all sports but football is his abiding passion, and he still has dreams every now and then about scoring the winning goal in a Wembley Cup Final, even though his playing days are long gone. He follows most major leagues, across Europe at least, and has a favoured team in each. When he’s not watching, listening, reading or downloading podcasts about football, he spend his time worrying about his beloved Arsenal.