JAY Rodriguez has explained that the loyalty shown to him by Saints during his long injury lay-off was one of the reasons behind him committing his future to the club.

The forward put pen to paper on a fresh, four-year deal last week, ending speculation about whether he could be sold this summer.

Rodriguez has been out with a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee for more than a year, but that did not dissuade the club from offering him a bumper new contract.

Having also helped nurse him back to health, the England ace revealed that their show of faith had been influential in his decision to sign on for a longer stay.

"The season we've had has been really good and I think, obviously, the loyalty that they've put into me to offer me a new contract means a lot to me and it was just something I wanted to do," he said.

Rodriguez's deal was a strong statement heading into the summer, and the 25-year-old is confident the squad can better this record-breaking season in the next campaign.

"The aim is to improve each year and I think there's no reason why we shouldn't," he said.

"We've got great players, a manager, and the squad's fantastic, so I think there's no limit really. We've just got to carry on working hard and hopefully improve on last year."

Rodriguez is also hoping that he will have European football to look forward to when he begins his pre-season training at Staplewood this summer.

"It would be amazing to play in that," he said.

"You want to work your way up and play in as many important games as you can, and I think Europa League's very important and it's something that excites players, so it would be really good."