STEVE De Ridder could be in line for a full Saints debut this evening, after Alex Chamberlain completed his move to Arsenal yesterday.

The Belgian wide player was a second-half substitute in the club’s Championship opener – an emphatic 3-1 victory over Leeds on Saturday.

He also came off the bench in Saints’ final two pre-season friendlies.

Now, manager Nigel Adkins, pictured, could hand the 24- year-old his first start, as the club host Torquay in the first round of the Carling Cup.

Teenage star Chamberlain initially might have been expected to start, as he looked to return from an ankle injury.

But the 17-year-old finally sealed his bigmoney switch to Arsenal last night.

That limits Adkins’ options this evening.

But it also presents a potential opportunity to improve De Ridder’s match fitness.

Saints have been working the former De Graafschap player hard in pre-season training since he joined late last month, as they try to get him up to speed with the rest of the squad.

The chance to get 90 minutes under his belt would certainly be a tempting one for Adkins.

The manager could also choose to play Brazilian Guly do Prado out wide, as he did against Leeds.

And Adkins has both Jonathan Forte and Lee Holmes at his disposal too.

Saints fans can probably expect some squad rotation for this evening’s encounter.

After the exertions of Saturday’s late kick-off against Leeds, the team faces a long trip to Barnsley this Saturday.

Saints have been nursing a few minor injury knocks, with striker Lee Barnard and defenders Radhi Jaidi and Dan Seaborne all missing out at the weekend.

It remains to be seen whether any of those will be fit enough to play, but Barnard was at least expected to join in training before the match.

There may also be some swapping in the centre of midfield, where Saints are particularly competitive.

Summer signing Jack Cork started alongside Dean Hammond on Saturday, and the pair formed an impressive partnership.

But Morgan Schneiderlin and Richard Chaplow are also both available.

With Hammond having recovered from a stomach bug to face Leeds, Adkins may choose to give his skipper a night off ahead of the weekend trip to Oakwell.