Nathan Jones says Joe Aribo's first season at Southampton following a transfer from Rangers was always going to be tough.
The versatitle attacker has been dipped in and out of the St Mary's side by the new boss, who took over from Ralph Hasenhuttl earlier this season, the man who brought Aribo to England's Premier League. He's got two goals from 18 league appearances and is yet to register an assist, but much of his impact in recent outings has been from the bench, as Jones labelled the Ibrox favourite a 'victim' of his reshuffle in a recent statement.
His playmaker was somebody he's tried to sign twice before and Jones has no doubt over his talent - but a Southampton term of integration following three seasons at Rangers appeared likely. He explained to Hampshire Live: “I've tried to sign Joe at two places I was at. I tried to sign him at Luton when he was younger.
"I tried to sign him at Stoke City when I was there. I see a lot in Joe and I’ve known him for a long time from the Charlton academy.
"I know what he can do and there’s a lot of new players here this year that may take a little bit of time. We always knew this was going to be a really difficult season in terms of the integration.
"But if we can get through this season, then we know that we've got players that can really hit the ground running next year. That's the challenge this year."
