18-year-old forward admits to his dream Southampton transfer | OneFootball

Southampton has been named as the dream transfer destination for an 18-year-old forward, currently on loan at the Saints.

Southampton have not begun the season well. However, this can only be said for the senior squad. In fact, Southampton's U21 squad has started the season rather well, currently 18th (out of 26) in Premier League 2.

The Southampton U21 team has seen an influx of talent. This is largely due to Russell Martin using the U21 squad as an outlet for those senior players who might find it hard to make Premier League minutes.

Otherwise, Southampton's starlet players have stolen the show. In fact, there are many young Saints, with a view on establishing themselves as future stars within the senior team.

18-year-old forward admits to his dream Southampton transfer

According to a report from The Courier, 18-year-old Scottish forward Rory MacLeod has loved his short stint on loan, playing in the Southampton U21 squad. In fact, he has openly admitted to hoping for a permanent transfer from Dundee United.

In his own words, Rory MacLeod said: “It’s been really good [joining Southampton]. It’s a big change of scenery for me as I’d been at Dundee United since I was six... I just need to keep doing what I’m doing and then hopefully get the move made permanent."

MacLeod confirmed that he was still unsure whether Southampton want to sign him permanently: “There’s no indication of that as of yet. There’s not been any talks about it yet, but hopefully by January, we’ll have a decision."

Southampton have the option to make the deal for Rory MacLeod permanent. The Saints will be in no rush, since they can either trigger the option in the January transfer window or the summer transfer window.

Russell Martin, whether he is here by the January transfer window or not, will be keeping a close eye on Southampton's youth setup. He is the kind of manager who likes to involve himself with the club at every level, but he might have an eye on the U21 for selfish reasons too.

As mentioned, the U21 team has been utilised for players on the cusp of the Southampton first-team, who might struggle for minutes. This has been a good method for the Saints, who have a large squad, and it's benefitted the likes of Ryan Manning.

Therefore, Russell Martin will surely learn a lot more about Rory MacLeod between now and the next opportunity to sign him permanently.