REPUBLIC of Ireland international Will Smallbone admitted he is also waiting for Saints to officially appoint a manager before he can think about his next steps.

The 23 year old is away with the senior national team for European Championship qualifying fixtures after impressing on his Ireland debut versus Latvia.

Smallbone spent the last season on loan at Championship Stoke City but has now returned to Saints – who will also compete in the second division after relegation.

The Saints academy graduate made 43 appearances for the Potters, scoring three and assisting a further five – including a purple patch of form between February and April.

However, Smallbone insists he is not thinking about his immediate future until after the international games versus Greece and Gibraltar this month.

“I don’t think anything has been announced yet so I’m not sure what’s going on down there,” the creative midfielder told Irish Independent.

“I’m not thinking too much about my future while I’m out here with Ireland. I’ll wait for Southampton to appoint a manager and like everyone else have a conversation with him to see where he sees me.

“What’s important for me next season is to carry on playing football. It’s quite rare on the international stage to get such a long time together,” he continued.

“It’s important that we all get back to understanding each other and training with each other.”​