Southampton: Taylor Harwood-Bellis reveals "perfect" scenario that will trigger Man City exit | OneFootball

Taylor Harwood-Bellis has stated that he wants to return to Southampton next season, and knowing that promotion via the play-offs would make that a reality would be the best ending to the season.

Even though he is just 22, the Manchester City loanee is now very well versed in the goings-on of the second tier.

He was part of the Burnley side that smashed up the Championship last season, and he returned to the league, in what could have been considered a bit of a surprise move, to join the Saints, rather than some Premier League sides who had an interest in him.

The club's former director of football, Jason Wilcox, said that Harwood-Bellis made his decision to move to the south coast because he felt that the St Mary's residents would be the best fit for him.

Unlike the Clarets, the defender's new loan spot weren't able to secure automatic promotion to the top flight.

If the Saints win the play-offs, then they will secure the permanent signing of the England under-21s captain for a £20 million fee.

He has previously expressed his desire to return to the club for the 24/25 campaign, if they win promotion, but he has now one-upped his former statement.

Taylor Harwood-Bellis' stance on Southampton future

The 22-year-old has said that the thought of being able to seal his future as a Southampton player is giving him more motivation to win the post-season.

In an interview with Adam Blackmore of BBC Radio Solent Sport, Harwood-Bellis said: "My aim is to get promoted. I knew from the start that I was going to be here full time if we get promoted, and that's not changed."

Blackmore asked if he still wanted to stay with the club after this season. "Even more so than I did," said the young defender. "After working with the manager, being at the club, playing at the stadium in front of the fans, everything; I've not got a bad word to say about it.

"I'm playing to get promoted, obviously, and knowing that I've got the deal there on the table - all I've got to do is just report back for pre-season - would be perfect. If not, then I'm back to City, and we go again."

The Man City loanee is now experiencing the other side of a promotion push. Under Vincent Kompany, he and his Claret teammates breezed the league. Now he's getting to see what the others went through, and get the feeling of what the Championship post-season is like.

He said: "There's a lot more exciting energy that you have in your stomach. If you don't win on Friday then you aren't going up no matter what.

"We didn't have that last season. If we lost a game, we were still 10 points clear. Knowing on Friday, if you don't win the game then you don't go to Wembley, and you've got no chance of going up, it's a lot more exciting.

"I love playing in them games. Those are the games that I want to play in."

Taylor Harwood-Bellis' attitude is exactly what fans want

The classic saying of 'don't fall in love with your loan players' isn't exactly the case when it comes to Southampton and the 22-year-old. Because of that clause in the loan deal, Saints fans can afford to love him because there is a concrete chance that he'll be back.

And it would be hard not to fall in love with a player like Harwood-Bellis. The way he's ingratiated himself on the pitch, really embraced living and being a part of Southampton.

He would never have lived so far down south, and yet he's seemingly taken to it like a duck to water.

If you're a fan of a football club, and you have loan players in the squad, that's exactly what you want from them. Everyone understands that they [the loanees] aren't going to be there forever, but embrace it whilst you're there, and fans will give that back to you.

This is easier said than done, in all fairness. It's much easier to be loved by the fans and embrace your temporary home if things are going well off the pitch. But the attitude he has makes him lovable regardless; the on-the-pitch performances just add to the whole package that he brings to the Saints.