Nigel Adkins faces the prospect of having to axe some of his most loyal stars if he makes more than a handful of summer signings.

The Saints boss is weighing up what he requires to have a good crack at the Premier League following promotion.

But top flight squad size rules means that he may face the heartbreaking decision of denying a place to some of the players who got the club there.

Premier League rules state that each club can only name a 25-man squad from which to pick throughout the season, which can only be updated after the January transfer window.

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