Lesley Ugochukwu joined Southampton on loan from Chelsea back in August
The midfielder has struggled for game time, featuring just six times in the league
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By WILL PICKWORTH
Published: 11:01 EST, 30 November 2024 | Updated: 11:01 EST, 30 November 2024
Chelsea loanee Lesley Ugochukwu has deleted all references to Southampton from his Instagram account.
Ugochukwu, 20, joined the Blues in the summer of 2023 from Rennes for a fee rising to £23.1million, with the midfielder a highly-rated France youth international.
He featured just 15 times in all competitions last season, six of which were starts - and joined the Saints in August in an attempt to get more game time.
However, Ugochukwu has struggled to make an impact, playing just six times in the Premier League for Russell Martin's side.
The 20-year-old was absent from Southampton's squad for their 1-1 draw against Brighton on Friday night, with Martin not offering an explanation as to why he wasn't involved.
And now, the Chelsea loanee has seemingly wiped all references of the south coast club from his Instagram page in what some are viewing as a protest at an apparent lack of game time.
A Chelsea star has deleted all references to his loan club from his social media account
Lesley Ugochukwu (second right) joined Southampton on loan from the Blues in the summer
He has struggled for game time and eagle-eyed fans noticed no mentions of the club on his page
Eagle-eyed Saints supporters noted that there were no mentions of Southampton on his page.
His bio tags Chelsea, while all of his photos are either him playing for the Blues or France, with some other personal shots added in.
Ugochukwu could now be looking for a new club in January, with his last league start coming back in September when Martin's side were hammered 3-1 by rivals Bournemouth.
On that fateful day, Ugochukwu was hooked at half-time, with Martin later letting rip at his side's first half display.
'I'm so hurt by the first-half performance after the first goal,' he fumed. 'I didn't recognise our team.
'I'm usually proud of them for the courage they show but there was no aggression and no courage, no intensity to play. Looking around I saw self-preservation mode on the pitch.
'I didn't recognise the body language. I didn't like that one bit. In the second half, they showed lots of fight and courage which was too late.'
Ugochukwu has played just 99 minutes in the subsequent seven league games, although he did start in Saints' Carabao Cup fourth round victory over Stoke City on October 29.
Ugochukwu's profile only tagged Chelsea, while there were no photos of him at Southampton
Ugochukwu has played just 99 minutes in the league since his last start against Bournemouth
Russell Martin let rip at his side's display that day and Ugochukwu seems to be out of favour
The midfielder's actions are a far cry from his positive comments when he joined the club in the summer ahead of what he hoped would be a breakthrough campaign.
'I had an injury last season that kept me outside of the pitch,' Ugochukwu explained. 'This season, I wanted to experience and play more minutes.
'I said that Southampton is a great opportunity for me to show myself. I've had the opportunity in the Champions League with Rennes.
'I had a couple of games in the Europa League. I have some experience. Even last season, being at a big club like Chelsea made me feel what is the highest level.
'I know what to do and I think I am now here to work really hard and give everything for the fans and for myself.'
Ugochukwu is set to face more frustration this coming week, with the midfielder ineligible for Southampton's clash against his parent club Chelsea on Wednesday.