Russell Martin’s latest Sekou Mara comments may surprise but excite Southampton FC supporters: View | OneFootball

Sekou Mara led the line for Southampton in their latest outing, a 4-0 FA Cup win over lower-league Walsall.

His time on the South Coast has been hit and miss his cup performance, which included a goal, may be a sign of things to come.

One would imagine that the player would be looking elsewhere this January for more regular playing time but Southampton boss Russell Martin has made an intriguing admission about Mara’s future.

Following their relegation out of the Premier League, Southampton were still able to retain the services of both Adam Armstrong and Che Adams.

The duo were capable of finding the back of the net in the top flight and so they have continued to do so in the Championship.

Armstrong is atop the Saints’ scoring charts with 13 in all competitions and Adams has seven.

To add further depth, Martin turned his attention to Sunderland and snapped up Scotsman Ross Stewart.

Stewart scored 24 times as the Black Cats were promoted out of League One and he then netted 10 in an injury-hit campaign.

Injuries have struck once again, two cameo appearances off of the bench being the extent of his league action for Southampton with a hamstring problem set to rule him out for the rest of 2023/24.

His misfortune has somewhat benefited Mara but Adams and Armstrong remain the go-to men and they have the goals to show for it as well.

Mara’s only goal in league play was the third in a 4-0 win over Blackburn Rovers in mid-December.

He was a substitute in that one, and he has been in 13 of the 14 games that he has played. That along with the FA Cup game against Walsall and 45 minutes of EFL Cup action represents a real lack of minutes.

Russell Martin’s admission about Mara

The lack of playing time that Mara has seen under Martin would, as previously mentioned, lead to the safe assumption that a loan move could be on the cards in the next couple of weeks.

When asked about the situation by The Daily Echo though, the Saints boss painted a very different picture.

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 reckoning.

Martin went on to put more faith in Mara’s game in what should be music to the ears of the St. Mary’s faithful.

He said: "He can come across chilled at times but that is also why he will score a lot of goals. It's easy to think a manager is saying one thing and doing another.

"But he knows how I feel and he will be a big player for us between now and the end of the season."

It goes without saying that the Championship schedule is a hectic one and the Frenchman will be looking to kick on from his goal against Walsall.