STUART ARMSTONG left Celtic to head to the Premier League in a £7million deal this summer.

But as we head into the festive period in the coming weeks, has that move paid off for the former Celtic hero?

Right now, the short answer is no.

Since showing some form in pre-season the midfielder has hardly been seen for the struggling Saints who are sitting just out the relegation zone with seven points from eleven games.

The Scottish midfielder wanted to leave to play in the Premier League but he’s hardly had any game time since moving.

So far, Armstrong has started ONE Premier League game and came on as a substitute in six of them. In all the player has only played 152 minutes of Premier League football with no goals or assists to show.

Southampton fan Website Saints Marching has a theory.

‘A reason which could explain the 26-year-old’s absence could be the switch in formation. After rotating between a 3-4-2-1 and 3-5-2 almost exclusively in pre-season, it was binned after just over 45 minutes in the Premier League for a 4-4-2.

‘The only games Armstrong has started was in the 3-5-2 in that match against Burnley on the opening day, and when Mark Hughes experimented with a 4-2-3-1 in the Carabao Cup win over Brighton. Either side of that we’ve seen him limited to just ten minutes of involvement.

‘Granted, despite his energy levels, the ex-Celtic man doesn’t possess a great defensive game and therefore having him occupy a role in a midfield two wouldn’t be wise – he’d need to play in at least a three or in his natural CAM position we’ve seen him play in those two aforementioned starts.’

It’s not looking very good for the invincible star at the moment but he may get his chance in the coming months.

Southampton were blown away by Manchester City last weekend, suffering a 6-1 defeat but the manner of the defeat was as bad as the result suggested.