Former Celtic midfielder Stuart Armstrong has won plaudits for his display in the FA Cup today.
The Scotland international helped the Saints into the semi-final of the competition after a 3-0 victory away to Bournemouth.
It was a superb performance and, for some, Armstrong stood out as the best of the bunch.
He created an assist for their second goal of the afternoon but was busy regardless. As shown by WhoScored, he completed four dribbles, took four shots, made three key passes, won two tackles and an interception.
Now 28, Armstrong is having one of his best seasons at Southampton, scoring four goals and assisting five times in 28 appearances across the Premier League and FA Cup.
He made his Celtic exit in 2018 for a £7m fee [BBC]. That may sound a lot by Scottish standards, but in the Premier League that is pocket change.
Celtic were backed into a corner on the deal, with Armstrong making it clear he wanted to follow his dream of playing in the English top-flight as well as having only a year to run on his contract.
Southampton fans are still in disbelief they signed him for such a low fee, taking to social media to share their thoughts today.
A reminder for Celtic heading into the summer
Ultimately, the club can’t be blamed for not getting more in those circumstances.
However, it is a reminder that the club are up against it again this summer when Kristoffer Ajer, Ryan Christie, Odsonne Edouard and Olivier Ntcham are potentially moved on.
All have similarly expiring contracts and given the progress of players such as Armstrong, Kieran Tierney and Virgil van Dijk, cash-rich clubs may smell a bargain.
Despite the situation, Celtic have to hold out for as much cash as possible for these players. Armstrong’s situation has at least taught us that.
In other news, Luca Connell has earned man of the match plaudits out on loan at Queen’s Park.
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