With Nathan Jones now confirmed as the new Southampton boss, he will be handed this weekend’s Premier League fixture before an unprecedented World Cup break will allow him to truly assess his squad and implement his ideas.

Inheriting a team sitting in the relegation zone, it is clear that this season has been a tumultuous one for the players.

Whilst some stood up and announced themselves as fine options for Ralph Hasenhuttl, plenty have wilted and offered little in the way of their push for safety.

Jones must now quickly work out who he can rely on for the second half of the season.

One man who is quite clearly a problem for the Saints is Theo Walcott, who made a romantic return to the club he started his career with after being released by Everton in the summer of 2021.

Joining on a two-year deal, the 33-year-old was handed a mouth-watering £75k-per-week contract despite having hardly starred during his loan spell with the club.

He had scored three and assisted a further three but given his age and declining ability, it was clear he would not be a starter.

Since then he is yet to score or assist again, and this season has featured just twice in the Premier League.

It marks a rare transfer blunder from the south coast outfit and hands Jones the perfect way to endear himself to his new fans by binning off this ageing waste of money.

What made the initial deal even more baffling was that he had clearly been a declining force for the Toffees, with just 20 goal contributions across 85 appearances.

So to make him their highest-paid player, which he remains today, seems to completely abandon the model usually employed by Southampton.

Back in 2017, Kevin Campbell and Glenn Hoddle launched a joint assault on Arsenal for not allowing him to blossom into the player that the latter believed should have been “world-class”.

With an impressive career under his belt, but one which likely should have yielded more from the talent that burst onto the scene at just 16 years old, it seems a shame that he will likely have his career brought to a close by the incoming manager.

However, it will be a decision that fans will likely agree with wholeheartedly.