Will Smallbone has already faced plenty of adversity during his young career.
Breaking through at Southampton as a highly rated prospect, he made nine Premier League appearances during the 2019/20 season, finding himself in the starting XI after the season resumed after the hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic.
However, disaster soon struck.
Having struggled with a hamstring issue at the start of the following season, Smallbone would then go on to rupture his ACL at the start of 2021. The injury would keep him out of action for ten months.
The midfielder was a regular in Southampton's matchday squad over the second half of the season, although playing time was hard to come by. He would played for just 63 minutes in the Premier League from January onwards.
With Southampton likely looking to strengthen in the summer, the 22-year old could find himself even further down the pecking order. As a result, a loan move could be in the offing.
Will Smallbone linked with loan move
The Sun are reporting that Nottingham Forest are interested in signing Will Smallbone on loan next season, with Southampton having told the player that he would be allowed leave on a temporary basis this summer.
Forest will return to the English top flight for the first time since 1999, having won the Championship play-off final against Huddersfield Town last weekend. Having had quite a number of players in on loan last season, they will need to reinforce their squad in the months ahead.
However, they are not the only club keeping an eye on his situation. Smallbone has been drawing interest from a number of clubs in the Premier League and Championship, as well as sides in Germany and Belgium.
Wherever he ends up, consistent playing time must be the priority.
Smallbone has been capped three times by Ireland at U21 level and has been included in the squad for the three Euro qualifiers this month. He is likely to feature heavily in those fixtures having started the last two games at this level for which he was available.
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