Southampton outcast urged to replicate young teammate's comeback story | OneFootball

Southampton midfielder Flynn Downes has been a club outcast recently. Accused of poor professionalism, he has been urged to take inspiration from teammate Kamaldeen Sulemana.

They say a man without an ego is nothing—fair enough, but sometimes such quotes fail in practicality. A simple look at what's happening at Southampton will explain this.

Yes, we talk about the ongoing Flynn Downes - Ivan Juric scuffle.

Now, whoever has followed the Saints for some time knows that Downes has been a hero figure for the club. Still, the midfielder has been facing a tough time settling under Ivan Juric.

Notably, after a couple of poor performances, Downes hasn't played for the Saints for around a month now.

If this felt less, boss Ivan Juric has left him out once again for the Bournemouth game next.

As it appears, a probable feud between the two is due to a lack of professionalism from Downes. Not long ago, Juric called out the former West Ham star, and now comes this squad exclusion.

Southampton outcast urged to replicate young teammate's comeback story

As quoted by the Daily Echo, boss Ivan Juric said: "He is not in (the squad) at the moment. Like I said before, for me, nothing is not resolvable. We have to find the best way and decide."

Optimistically, as Juric hinted, there is still hope for things to improve. And the best part is that the manager has expressed the way himself.

As per Juric, Downes should learn from improving star Kamaldeen Sulemana. In his words: "Sometimes in life, things change. Maybe Kamaldeen Sulemana was a bad guy last season, now he's a good guy."

The message is clear. If Downes again starts showcasing his commitment and grit like praised star Sulemana, he might have his lineup spot back. Elsewhere, everything stands uncertain.

Clearly, it would be best if Downes starts working on this advice. This way, not only would he get his spot but Southampton would improve overall.