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Che Adams: Southampton striker glad to have turned around difficult start to life at St Mary's

Southampton striker Che Adams had to wait until 30th appearance for first goal and has stepped up with three in last four while Danny Ings is injured; Adams has thanked manager Ralph Hasenhuttl for his support

Che Adams wheels away after his equaliser
Image: Che Adams has scored three goals so far this season with the Saints pushing the teams at the top of the table

Che Adams has admitted to finding life hard at Southampton after his switch from Birmingham - but is relieved to have finally turned things around.

The striker had to wait until his 30th Saints appearance for his first goal and was linked with a move away from the club during the summer, including to newly-promoted Leeds.

But after scoring three in his last four games, and stepping up in place of the injured Danny Ings, Adams says he is glad to repay the trust given to him by manager Ralph Hasenhuttl.

"At the start it was quite tough, because it took me a lot of time to get used to the league and all the players," he told the club's website. "You're coming up against people with big egos.

"Southampton are known for well-known people who are known all around the world, so it was hard at the start. But once you get to know them and know everyone's normal, that we're all the same, it was easy."

Adams believes the coronavirus hiatus helped him recover form, and he bagged his first goal after the restart against Manchester City in July before adding three more before the end of the season.

Che Adams celebrates after giving Southampton the early advantage

"I think it helped me a lot, coming away from football for a bit, and just realising what I had to do right and what I was doing wrong at the time," he said. "I think it was a great thing for the team as well.

"I was working on my fitness and other aspects of my game; conditioning to run harder, work harder and play smarter. I can't say it was a nice time, that lockdown happened, but for me personally it was probably the right thing, and obviously for the team at the time. We came back harder, we worked better… it was good for us.

"A lot of people wouldn't have thought I'd waited all that time for my first goal, but it was an unbelievable feeling - more relief than anything. I think it was just a matter of time. When that goal went in, I went on to score a couple more and it just brings confidence.

"I think confidence is goals and playing well consistently. Way before I even scored, the guys still had trust in me and the manager had trust in me to keep putting me on. That's massive respect to them, because obviously it's not a nice place where I was at, with not scoring, but it's not the end of the world. Repaying them feels great."

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