Ivan Jurić has reportedly said that Maxwel Cornet will leave Southampton in the January transfer window. The loaned player will return to West Ham United.
Ivan Jurić has only managed Southampton for two games. While the Saints have lost both games, the Croatian manager is presenting himself in a good light.
The former Serie A boss wants to bring with him "rockstar football" with high energy and pressing levels. There have been signs of this in recent matches but he needs to bring in players to complement his philosophy.
At the same time, with the January transfer window now open, there are expected to be a few players exitting St Marys Stadium.
Ivan Jurić says one Southampton player will leave in January transfer window
According to journalist Adam Blackmore of Radio Solent's Sports, Ivan Jurić has informed him that Maxwel Cornet will leave Southampton to return to West Ham United in the January transfer window. His loan deal at St Marys will be cut short.
However, Jurić did confirm that the case is different for Lesley Ugochukwu. Under Jurić, the Chelsea loanee will be given more chances to make a name for himself at Southampton than he did under Russell Martin.
In his own words, Blackmore said: "Saints boss Ivan Jurić just confirmed to me that Max Cornet will head back to West Ham this month... However, Lesley Ugochukwu’s future at Saints is now brighter under Jurić and the manager says he’ll stay as things stand - Jurić certainly rates him."
Cornet has not had the best start to the season on loan at Southampton. He was sent out by West Ham to get game-time, something the Hammers couldn't promise him, but Southampton haven't been able to fulfil their promises either.
This season, Cornet has started just one Premier League match. He is severely out of favour and for the sake of his career, he is better off moving back to West Ham where they can assess where to send him next.
Ugochukwu, on the other hand, definitely has something to offer Southampton. He is already seeing an increase in game-time under the new manager Jurić.
In Jurić's first game in charge of Southampton, Ugochukwu started and played close to 90 minutes. This was a real sign of intent from the Croatian boss that every player was on a level playing field when he arrived.
Hopefully, Ugochukwu closes out the season well with Southampton before his future is decided in the summer. He's clearly a talented player.