STARLET Sam Amo-Ameyaw issued a message thanking Saints and its supporters after he departed the club to join Strasbourg on deadline day.

Amo-Ameyaw, 18, signed for the French Ligue 1 outfit on loan with an obligation to buy on a five-year permanent deal in the summer.

Amo-Ameyaw has issued a statement thanking those around him for his time at Saints, where he made 12 appearances and scored once.

On social media site Instagram, he said: "I’d like to thank everyone at Southampton for making my time there a real learning experience.

"Thank you to the fans for believing in me the moment I first stepped on the pitch. I will never forget your support!

"To the staff and teammates, I wish you the best of luck moving forward with this club."

The former Tottenham Hotspur academy product was unlikely to agree to a new deal on terms Saints were willing to offer so they cashed in.

Strasbourg will pay the St Mary's side a total package worth up to €10million when the deal is made permanent at the end of the season.

Amo-Ameyaw was made a full-time senior player by former boss Russell Martin but relegated to the under-21s under manager Ivan Juric.