What Taylor Harwood-Bellis has said about Southampton and Will Still amid Burnley links | OneFootball

The centre-back has been linked with a return to Turf Moor.

Taylor Harwood-Bellis has made an interesting admission about his Southampton future, and their new boss Will Still, amid links with a return to Burnley.

Following the exit of star centre-half CJ Egan-Riley, Harwood-Bellis, a former Clarets loanee, may be eyed as a replacement. Alan Nixon has reported that Burnley are interested in bringing back the former Manchester City defender to help them on their return to the Premier League.

They had the option to sign him permanently the last time they went up from the Championship but opted against it.

Taylor Harwood-Bellis makes encouraging Southampton future statement after Burnley interest revealed

The 23-year-old has aspirations of turning his previous international success at the under-21 level - he captained England's youth team to Euros glory in 2023 - into more caps for the men's team following his debut in November against the Republic of Ireland.

To get those opportunities back, Harwood-Bellis believes he needs to be in the top flight, but he plans on getting back to that level with Southampton.

"I've said this so many times, you want to stay there," the defender told Sky Sports. "You don't want to be a one-cap wonder. So obviously I've got a long way to go. I wouldn't say I'm mad close to the team at the minute because of the way last season went. But I think, at the end of the day, it's about how you do with your club.

"If I've got to look at it selfishly, to get back in the England squad, I need to be playing in the Premier League, and playing well in the Premier League. That's a case of we've got to get promoted then, so that's another motivation for me."

Harwood-Bellis is looking forward to working with his new boss, too. Still, 32, was appointed following his exit from Ligue 1 side RC Lens. "You used the word there, excited. The boys are excited," he claimed about Southampton's new head coach.

"A new manager has come in, he's young, so he's kind of on his way to the top. We want to help him as much as he is going to help us. He is obviously there to put his ideas to us, but we are going to give it our best to learn and be willing to run.

"[We will] do everything for him. I spoke to him briefly, and he seems like a really good guy. Anyone you speak to about him holds him in such high regard.

"We are really excited. The boys, I'm sure, will come in raring to go in order to give the best for him."

Harwood-Bellis is seeing nothing but Saints moving forward

Southampton fans will be really encouraged by all of the noises that the centre-back is making. From that, there is no indication that he has any future in his mind other than being at St Mary's.

He's going to be a big player for them next season. In his last two Championship campaigns, he has been promoted. It will be vital for Southampton's relatively young squad and their young boss, who has never managed in this country before at the men's level, to have a leader with that level of knowhow in the division.