January exit ruled out for Southampton striker | OneFootball

Russell Martin has revealed that Southampton striker Sekou Mara won't be leaving the club during the January transfer window, making this admission to the Daily Echo.

Mara has found game time hard to come by for a decent chunk of the campaign, making 16 appearances in all competitions so far this season.

Although he has been a regular part of Martin's matchday squads, he has spent much of the campaign either making appearances from the bench or remaining as an unused substitute.

His game time has been limited despite the fact Ross Stewart has been out for much of the season with an injury problem.

And with this in mind, the Frenchman's chances of starting many games between now and the end of the season seem fairly slim.

Che Adams has been a real asset for the Saints at times and Adam Armstrong has also been very useful for Martin, with the pair playing a part in limiting Mara's game time.

Mara will have been optimistic about getting on the pitch regularly this term, especially with a couple of strikers departing St Mary's on loan during the summer, but that hasn't paid dividends for the Frenchman.

Russell Martin's stance on Sekou Mara

The striker has recently been linked with a move to Ligue 1 outfit Lille and with the Saints open to cashing in on players during the previous window, it wouldn't have been a surprise to see him go.

But Martin has ruled out an exit for the 21-year-old this month.

He said: "He’s not going anywhere, no. It would be mad, wouldn’t it?

"He is a really good footballer, a good technician, and a brilliant athlete. I really liked his performance against Walsall.

"I really rate Sekou and he has not had a huge amount of minutes, but he is coming more to the fore now and forcing his way into the reckoning."

Sekou Mara should be retained by Southampton

With Stewart likely to be out for the rest of the season, Mara needs to be retained.

Although they could bring in a replacement, he's a young asset who will only get better.

His contract doesn't expire until 2026 either and the Saints generated plenty of money from sales in the summer, so selling him now wouldn't make sense.

At 21, he could end up being a long-term replacement for Adams who sees his contract expire in 2024.

And if the Scotland international fails to put pen to paper on a deal in the coming months, Mara should win game time ahead of him.