Mohamed Elyounoussi has been backed to come good at Southampton, despite being sent out on loan to Celtic.
Former Southampton number two and new Reading manager Mark Bowen believes that the winger will come back from his spell in Scotland stronger than ever.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, as cited on the Daily Echo, Bowen gave an insight into the deal that saw the winger move to St Mary’s back in 2018.
But it was maybe just the wrong timing for him. Mo needs a lot of the ball to go and do what he does best. He might not have been ready for the Premier League at that time but, after a year at Celtic, I expect him to go back to Southampton and be far better prepared.
Can Elyounoussi still be a success at Southampton after his poor start?
Read Southampton verdict
Southampton fans won’t be holding out too much hope and it’s easy to see why.
The Norwegian, despite being so highly rated throughout his career, has done little to impress at Southampton since his arrival.
Bowen made a fair comment about the timing of his arrival and how that didn’t really play into his favour, which is probably correct.
However, since joining the club he has only managed to get 16 league appearances under his belt and is yet to find the back of the net.
He’ll be hoping for a clean slate if and when he does make it back to the club. For now, he has to concentrate on his time at Celtic and make a success of his short stint in Scotland.
His spell at Celtic has started well, with an important goal against Cluj in the Europa League recently.
Elyounoussi can toke hope from Sofiane Boufal’s return to the club, with the latter working his way back into the first-team picture.
If the Norwegian can continue on a similar vein of form, he’ll give himself a fighting chance, but there’s lots of work to be done first.
