JOE Rothwell has again left Cherries on loan, this time to join Leeds United.

Rothwell spent the second half of last season at Southampton, helping them clinch promotion to the Premier League, ironically at the expense of Leeds.

The midfielder struggled to nail down a starting spot at Saints and was an unused substitute for the play-off final against Leeds at Wembley.

Rothwell joined Cherries from Blackburn Rovers on a free transfer in the summer of 2022 and has made 35 appearances for the club, including 13 last season.

His best spell came towards the end of the 2022-23 campaign, playing a key role as Gary O’Neil guided Cherries to Premier League safety.

After starting in the early weeks under Andoni Iraola, Rothwell found himself out of the side and opted to make the move to Saints in January.

He bagged four goals for Russell Martin’s men, but in an interview with the Daily Echo admitted his time at St Mary’s had “probably not quite gone as I would’ve liked it to”.

Former Manchester United youngster Rothwell, 29, now joins Leeds until the end of the season.

He still has two years remaining on his contract at Cherries.