Southampton manager Russell Martin has confessed the club missed Joe Aribo while he was away with Nigeria.
Aribo rejoined the Saints last week after spending around one month on Africa Cup of Nations duty.
The midfielder was part of the Super Eagles squad that finished in second place in the competition.
He came off the bench to score in Southampton’s 2-1 home defeat to Hull City on Tuesday night.
“Amazing. We have missed him so much, and he showed that the other night,” Martin told Daily Echo via Southampton FC news.
“I think he is ready to start games now, although he has been away for a while. He is a huge player for us, and you can see why he wore the armband for us.”