Chelsea star DELETES club from his social media account during loan spell

Chelsea loanee Lesley Ugochukwu has removed all references to Southampton from his Instagram account.

Ugochukwu, 20, joined the Blues from Rennes in the summer of 2023 for a fee rising to £23.1 million, with the midfielder a highly rated French youth international.

He made just 15 appearances in all competitions last season, including six starts, and joined the Saints in August in a bid to get more playing time.

However, Ugochukwu has struggled to make an impact, making just six Premier League appearances for Russell Martin's side.

The 20-year-old was absent from the Southampton squad on Friday evening for the 1-1 draw against Brighton, with Martin offering no explanation as to why he was not involved.

And now the Chelsea loanee has seemingly deleted all references to the south coast club from his Instagram page, in what some are seeing as a protest against an apparent lack of playing time.

Eagle-eyed Saints supporters noticed that there was no mention of Southampton on his page.

His bio tags Chelsea, while all his photos feature him playing for the Blues of France, with some other personal photos added.

Ugochukwu could now look for a new club in January, with his last league start coming in September when Martin's side were beaten 3-1 by rivals Bournemouth.

On that fateful day, Ugochukwu was hooked at half-time, while Martin later unleashed his side's first half.

“I'm so hurt by the first half performance after the first goal,” he fumed. 'I didn't recognize our team.

'Normally I'm proud of them for the courage they show, but there was no aggression, no courage, no intensity to play. When I looked around, I saw the self-preservation mode on the field.

'I didn't recognize the body language. I didn't like that very much. They showed a lot of fight and courage in the second half, but it was too late.'

Ugochukwu played just 99 minutes in the next seven league games, although he did start in the Saints' Carabao Cup fourth round win over Stoke City on 29 October.

The midfielder's actions are a far cry from his positive comments when he joined the club this summer, ahead of what he hoped would be a breakthrough campaign.

“Last season I had an injury that kept me off the field,” 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 had the chance in the Champions League with Rennes.

'I played a few games in the Europa League. I have some experience. Even last season, playing for a big club like Chelsea gave me a feeling of what the highest level is.

“I know what I have to do and I think I'm here now to work really hard and give everything for the fans and for myself.”

Ugochukwu will face even more frustration in the coming week with the midfielder not being eligible for Southampton's match against his parent club Chelsea on Wednesday.