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Southampton's wing logjam is why this academy name is off to Monza in Serie A

The Saints academy is buzzing again. Just not for everyone, and one 19-year-old is paying for it with a season in Italy.
SC Paderborn 07 v Southampton FC: Pre-Season Friendly
SC Paderborn 07 v Southampton FC: Pre-Season Friendly | Matt Watson/GettyImages

The Southampton academy is having a moment. Jay Robinson, sadly, is not part of it right now.

Fabrizio Romano reckons a deal is done for the 19-year-old to join Monza on a season-long loan. There is no buy option in it, so this is about game time, not a goodbye.

The wing queue got too long

Cast your eye over Southampton's wide options and the problem jumps out. Léo Scienza, Lewis Dobbin and Samuel Edozie all sit ahead of him, and Tom Fellows is in that queue as well.

Even the younger lads are catching Tonda Eckert's eye now. Romeo Akachukwu keeps impressing on the fringes, so Robinson has drifted a fair way back.

Here is the blunt bit. Not every academy graduate pushes on in a straight line, and some stall for a spell.

Saints Marching has written about the buzz around the academy, and rightly so. That buzz just does not point at Robinson this summer.

A loan move that makes sense

Rewind a year and this looked very different. Robinson racked up 28 appearances last season and scored against both Ipswich Town and QPR.

Will Still clearly saw enough in Robinson to trust him in the early stages of his torrid start after Robinson's pre-season had gone well.

Then the minutes vanished. Just one of those outings came after January, and pre-season handed him only 115 quiet ones.

Robinson can play off either flank or tuck in at number ten. That versatility should help him settle at a mid-table club still finding its feet.

So Italy it is. Monza are managed by former Saints boss Ivan Juric, freshly promoted from Serie B.

Serie A is a stern school for a teenager. Handle it well and the growth can be rapid.

There is a neat little twist too. Juric left Southampton one game before Robinson made his Premier League debut, so the pair never actually worked together.

According to the Daily Echo, there is no buy clause attached, which keeps his future firmly in Saints hands.

None of this means the club has given up on him. He signed a fresh four-year deal not long ago, so they clearly still rate the lad.

Saints Marching has backed these kids to shine after Spygate. A strong loan keeps Robinson in that conversation.

This is not the end of the story for Jay Robinson. It is a detour, and Southampton will be hoping he comes back hungrier for it.

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