Will Still has to fix Southampton star’s mentality this summer, he’s ready to ‘forget about football’

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It’s a big season for Southampton as they return to the Championship following relegation.

The Saints lost 30 games last season, a Premier League record, and much to the delight of Aaron Ramsdale, they narrowly avoided matching Derby County’s record low points tally of 11.

However, he hangover from the 2024/25 campaign must not be felt by the Hampshire outfit, and work has to be done over the course of the summer to avoid suffering a fate similar to Luton Town, who were relegated to League One in May.

Nevertheless, the arrival of Will Still does bring excitement to St Mary’s, but the new Southampton boss has his work cut out with one particular player after a terrible 12 months on the pitch.

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Southampton ace Mateus Fernandes makes admission after Portugal U21 Euros exit

Mateus Fernandes is one player who could leave the Saints this summer and a move to a top flight division will be something that the Portuguese midfielder will want.

Yet for now he is still a Southampton player, and after exiting the U21 European Championship with his country, he spoke of how ready he is for a break from the game.

Fernandes said to Portuguese media: “It was a very difficult day, but that’s football. We didn’t take advantage of our opportunities, they ended up going there once and managing to score.

“It was a tiring season for me, I’m completely fed up with football. Many defeats, it was a year of learning and that’s it, learning from football. I hope that in the next Euros we can give a better response. Now it’s time to forget about football for a while and enjoy the holidays.”

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Fixing a losing mentality at St. Mary’s is crucial for Will Still

Losing becomes a habit in football, but with a change in manager potentially comes a change in mentality and Southampton are in desperate need of that if they are to mount a promotion challenge next season.

Fernandes will be keen to move on from 2024/25, and Portugal U21’s defeat in the Euros will not have helped matters for him personally. However, he is now working with arguably Europe’s most exciting young manager, and if he does stick around, he will be vital for the Saints.

Ensuring that their rut does not continue is Still’s first job, and that can only change with a strong start to the campaign. Early wins are crucial, but Southampton also need more incomings to help change a broken squad.