Southampton: £18m star 'could be loaned out' at St Mary's | OneFootball

Southampton forward Paul Onuachu could be loaned back to his former club, talkSPORT reporter Alex Crook has told GIVEMESPORT.

The signing of Onuachu hasn't worked out so far and he's barely featured for the Saints.

Onuachu signed for Southampton for a fee of around £18m during the January transfer window, according to The Athletic.

However, the Nigerian hasn't made the impact that many Saints fans would have hoped for.

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As per FBref, Onuachu started just four Premier League games, failing to score a goal during his time at St Mary's Stadium.

In total, the 29-year-old played just 407 minutes, and considering they spent £18m on the forward, it's been a complete disaster.

Southampton needed players to come in during the January window to try and guide them out of the relegation zone, but the south coast club finished bottom of the table.

Speaking on Onuachu, Ruben Selles, who took charge after Nathan Jones was sacked, suggested that the towering forward was unfortunate not to play more.

He said: "I think sometimes it’s difficult to come straight to the Premier League and it’s hard to score goals especially in that position. There are some key positions where you need to be more exposed than the others and that’s the number nine position.

"Probably the change in manager didn’t benefit him, we went some places that we didn’t go before."

What has Crook said about Onuachu?

Crook has suggested that we could see Onuachu loaned back to Belgium in the summer.

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, he said: "It's a tricky one because they paid good money for Onuachu and Kamaldeen Sulemana, around £40m for the pair. They made pretty much no contribution. Sulemana looks like he's got a bit about him but his numbers are poor.

"I think the best they could hope for is getting them off the wage bill and loaning them back. Onuachu I can see being loaned back to Belgium."

Should Southampton look to keep Onuachu?

Realistically, if neither Jones or Selles fancied him much when they were desperate for a goalscorer, they may have to bite the bullet and accept it hasn't worked out.

However, he could flourish in the Championship, but whether Onuachu would be willing to play in England's second tier remains to be seen.