GOALKEEPER Gavin Bazunu has not been registered in Southampton's Premier League squad, manager Russell Martin has confirmed.

Saints had to leave one player out of their official 25-man squad due to having 26 players over the age of 21 on the books.

Players 21 years old and under are not required to be registered which is why Bazunu, 22, was omitted from the list.

Kamaldeen Sulemana's failed loan move to Ajax complicated matters however Martin insisted it was an easy decision to leave the Irish international out.

Bazunu is unavailable through injury until 2025 but can be reintroduced to the official squad list in January.

Saints already have three fit goalkeepers registered - Aaron Ramsdale, Alex McCarthy and Joe Lumley.

Saints signed Aaron Ramsdale from Arsenal on deadline daySaints signed Aaron Ramsdale from Arsenal on deadline day (Image: PA)
Speaking to the Daily Echo, Martin explained the decision to leave Bazunu out of the squad: "The difficult conversation has already happened.

"Gavin won't be registered because he is injured until January. It was a really simple one. Gavin understands that.

"We had a conversation about it. We will assess Gavin's situation in January and where we are at as a group.

"At the moment, our feeling and plan for Gavin hasn't changed from day one. He is on board with that.

"It's tough for him but it's also common sense that, while he is out injured and can't help us, he would be the guy to be left off the squad list."

Although the UK transfer window has been closed for nearly two weeks, some windows across Europe remain open.

Paul Onuachu has not featured in a matchday squad this seasonPaul Onuachu has not featured in a matchday squad this season (Image: Stuart Martin)
The Turkish window closes on Friday, September 13, giving the likes of Trabzonspor more time to offer better terms for Paul Onuachu.

Martin explained that the possibility for further departures remains open but played down the likelihood of it happening before the winter window.

He explained: "There is always a chance, especially with the size of our squad. But who and where and when, we don't know.

"As the Kamaldeen situation showed us, things can all change very quickly. We will have to wait and see."