JOE Rothwell says his future is “up in the air” after admitting his loan move to Southampton had “not quite gone as I would’ve liked it to”.

Rothwell, who played a key role in Cherries avoiding relegation from the Premier League in 2022-23 under Gary O’Neil, started the first game of 23-24 with new boss Andoni Iraola at the helm.

But the midfielder fell out of favour and departed in the January transfer window, dropping down into the Championship to get more game-time.

While Rothwell made 20 appearances in total for Saints in the second half of the campaign, only nine came as a starter, as he again found himself mainly used as a substitute.

The former Blackburn Rovers man bagged four goals during his stay, with braces in home wins against Huddersfield Town and Sunderland.

Southampton sealed promotion back to the Premier League via the play-offs, defeating Leeds United 1-0 at Wembley in the final.

But Rothwell did not get off the bench during that contest.

Bournemouth Echo: Joe Rothwell featured 20 times on loan at Southampton

Speaking to the Daily Echo after the game about his time on loan at Southampton, Rothwell said: “It’s probably not quite gone as I would’ve liked it to.

“But I tried to contribute in ways that I can, when I can.

“Thankfully we managed to get the job done in the end.

“Obviously that (promotion) was the end goal when I came here, so thankfully we managed to do that.”

Rothwell has two years remaining on his contract, having joined Cherries on a free transfer in 2022.

Asked how he sees his future, the 29-year-old said: “I’d say it was up in the air.

“Obviously I’ve got to go back to Bournemouth. I’ll have conversations with them, see where they see me and just take it from there really.

“But I’m not thinking about that. Obviously I’ve just got promoted, so it’s time to enjoy it now for the next couple of days and then get away with the family, relax and come back ready to go.”

And Rothwell says he has not had much contact with Cherries during his time away.

“I’ve kind of just gone on with what I needed to do, in terms of being a Southampton player,” he said.

“So no immediate conversations and now thankfully the season is over, it’s ended the way that we wanted and I can get away, relax and come back ready to go.”

Last summer, Cherries were ruthless in pre-season by leaving some first-team players out of their plans with Ben Pearson, Siriki Dembele and Jamal Lowe sent to train with the development squad and told to find moves elsewhere.

Asked if he will be with the Cherries first team when pre-season rolls around in July, Rothwell said: “I’ve heard nothing different, so I’ll see when I go back.

“I’d expect to.

“It’s at the back of my mind at the minute. I’m not thinking about it.

“The main thing for me now is to get away, enjoy some time off and enjoy some time with my family.”