Just under four years ago Josh Sims looked to have the world at his feet as he threaded through a pass for Shane Long to run through and score at Anfield and ensure Saints would be going to Wembley, but he just hasn't seemed to have kicked his career on.

Josh Sims seems set to be playing his football in League One for the rest of the season with Doncaster Rovers being said to be about to take him on loan, although presumably they will not be paying all of the £18,000 a week salary he is reported to be on.

Sims has spent time away from Saints on loan with both Reading in the Championship and New York Red Bulls in the MLS over the last two campaigns. The 23-year-old, who is currently on a deal worth £18,000-a-week , has not yet been able to fully establish himself under Ralph Hasenhuttl and could now be set for another temporary switch.

This seems to be a bit of a comedown for Sims who although he failed at Reading seemed to be a hit in the MLS, as well as a decent spell under Hasenhuttl at the tail end of the 2018/19 season, when Ralph said he was a ‘"perfect’ fit" for his system after he impressed in a 3-1 win against Wolves in April 2019.

But with the Austrian manager if your face don't fit then it don't fit and although many Saints fans might disagree it seems that Sims future will not be at St Mary's.

Photo: Action Images

IanRC added 19:56 - Oct 15 A bit of a strange one this. I don’t think he has been given a fair chance frankly, And I am not sure why. I think he has the potential to do really well but to do that he needs to have a run in the first team but he has not been allowed anywhere near it recently. I hope he does well and is given his chance as he is a very exciting player who makes things happen.
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A1079 added 20:44 - Oct 15 I am disappointed by this news and I don't know, may be I am being a bit harsh, but either our much lauded academy (which feels somewhat over-rated) is not up to the level it claims to be or these players are simply not getting enough of the right opportunities. In reality we are not actually producing many finished products from the academy for our first team and yet Southampton put this up as a model and the rationale for not spending big on quality. Equally, I am not sure how a player can ever develop in the first team if all they get is a few minutes here and there and no consistently protracted periods at the top level. I remain to be convinced that the so called Southampton Way is the road to success.

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Boris1977 added 22:56 - Oct 15 It is a massive shame. He doesn't seem to have an ego and he's a hard worker from what we have sen in the first team and he's doing a job for the under 22s in terms of creating. Maybe he is a victim of the fuzzy logic of the wider management off the field which wasn't sure whether to stick with the better youth products from the academy or buying off the peg ready to go players from Europe who saints have recently cut their loses on. Maybe the same applies to Reed. A shame as in a balanced team they would have learnt and developed while playing alongside senior players but fire fighting teams needs results and nothing else.

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wibbersda added 11:52 - Oct 16 What a comedown
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claus5 added 12:56 - Oct 16 Maybe we need to accept he simpl isn't good enough. No manager has picked him and no Championship club wants him.
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NewburySaint added 13:19 - Oct 16 A1079, i couldn't agree with you more-i just think our academy is over rated at the moment which makes our model of holding this up as a reason why we don't buy many players a strange logic indeed, but i think those of us that follow Saints closely enough know that not signing players is more about not wanting to spend the money rather than that we have academy players coming through that are good enough.

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