Southampton boss Nathan Jones has admitted Joe Aribo has been a "victim" of his squad reshuffle with the former Rangers star struggling for game time.
The Nigeria international left Ibrox in the summer after a successful stint north of the border, with the playmaker lifting the Scottish Premiership and Scottish Cup, as well as scoring in a Europa League final before making the switch to St Mary's. Things got off to a bright star for the 26-year-old after departing Rangers having been handed regular minutes by then Southampton boss Ralph Hasenhuttl, starting 10 of his first 14 games on the south coast.
Things appear to be quickly turning sour with the club in the midst of a relegation scrap, Jones was brought in as boss and Aribo has found regular game time hard to come by - failing to make an appearance for the last three games despite Southampton being rooted to the foot of the table. Jones admits he has been tested other players in Aribo's role leaving the former Light Blues' hero on the fringes on the squad.
Speaking to the Daily Echo, Jones said: “We've got a lot of midfield players, a lot of people. So we're just trying to find a balance in there where we get the best out of everyone. Joe has been been a little bit of a victim but he’s played well. He came into the game against Crystal Palace the other day and had an impact.
“We've had a few out, we've had a few people come back in, we've had a lot of games, we've played James Ward-Prowse in an advanced position and he scored goals so that's kind of Joe's position. So he’s been a victim of a few things really but look, we like Joe and Joe trains hard. He's a great character in terms of everything. So it takes time, you know, and as I said, we're in the thick of it now in terms of games so I'm sure Joe will contribute.”
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