Former Hammers star delights Simon Rusk ahead of visiting West Ham | OneFootball

Simon Rusk is delighted with Flynn Downes' return after his recent 2-game yellow-card suspension.

No Premier League fan can disagree that facing a Big Six as an opponent is any club's nightmare. That's why Southampton can breathe easy for a while, as there are no Big Six opponents on the horizon for the next couple of matchdays.

But as usual, Southampton's happiness feels short-lived as they face another London club next, the cluster that has humiliated them even worse than any Big Six this season.

Take, for instance, Brentford's mammoth 5-0 at the beginning of the year, Chelsea's thunderous win over them and Tottenham's recent 3-1 win.

Still, scroll a bit further down and there’s an exception. Just weeks ago, the Saints shared a crucial point with a London side, Crystal Palace. Feels shocking but never surprising as Southampton was favoured by their X-factor's presence on that matchday.

By now, you must've guessed him, the club's tireless hero Flynn Downes.

Despite playing a full 90 for the first time in a while, Downes delivered his usual self, being clinical against Palace. Sadly, still, after that, we haven't seen any of him due to a yellow-card suspension.

Flynn Downes set to return to London Stadium as a Saint

But now, he’s back, just in time for a visit to his old stomping ground as Southampton take on West Ham next.

Speaking to the Daily Echo, Simon Rusk expressed his delight at Downes’ return, saying: "It's great. Flynn brings really great energy to the group. We were not able to draw upon him last week, but to have him back this week is a real positive for us."

The last time Simon Rusk led Southampton into a London clash, they walked out of Craven Cottage with a point. Here's hoping Downes helps them do one better this time.