History suggests Manolo Gabbiadini is about to explode and fire Saints up the Premier League

The Italy international is known to suffer lengthy spells without goals but comes alive in fruitful streaks.

And after hitting a brace against Newcastle for Saints at the weekend, there is plenty of reason to be hopeful the striker is about to explode once more.

Gabbiadini had struck just one goal in 15 appearances for Saints before his double against the Magpies and if his tradition of scoring in streaks continues, then Mauricio Pellegrino’s men might be about to benefit big time.

On his arrival at St Mary’s in January - after a £14.6m switch from Serie A side Napoli, Gabbiadini had just plundered three goals in as many games in his homeland.

The gifted Italian continued that hot run, which finished when he picked up a groin injury in March, with NINE goals in just seven appearances, including a brace in the League Cup final.

That blistering form came off the back of 18 games with just two goals netted.

But this is typical of the 25-year-old throughout his career.

He can’t score and then something is triggered – confidence perhaps – and he fires in a whole heap of goals.

And after that superb solo effort against Newcastle and the clinical penalty, Gabbiadini could be about to find his flow, and perhaps save Saints’ so far drifting campaign.

The former Sampdoria man hit form last term in sensational fashion and the campaign before he also had two separate runs in which he scored three goals in three games, helping Napoli to a second place finished in Serie A.

Going back further to 2014/15, Gabbiadini struck eight goals in 13 games for Sampdoria at the beginning of that term before his switch to Naples for 13m Euros in January 2015.

For the San Paolo side he hit the ground running with four goals in five games, before the scoring dried up and he recorded just one strike in 12 matches.

But that drought was ended with another streak, as he hit six goals in nine games.

If Gabbaidini is going to score, he will more than likely do it in bursts, rather than spreading it out across a campaign.

Right now, this could be very beneficial to Saints, who are really in need of inspiration and a haul of points to really get some momentum to climb the Premier League.

They have not won in three games in the top-flight and have often struggled to find the net this term.

Casting an eye further back in Gabbiadini’s career to when he was on loan at Bologna, he largely struggled for goals but had one spell in which he started firing, netting five in eight matches.

And with his goal-scoring juices now flowing after the Newcastle game, Gabbiadini could be about to serve up one of his scoring feasts, and just in the nick of time for Saints and Pellegrino.