Southampton striker Adam Armstrong admits leaving formative club Newcastle United was a wrench.

Armstrong has been superb for Saints in the Championship, scoring 14 goals this season.

He told ChronicleLive: "It was hard to leave Newcastle. What helped was I had been on loan before that at a few clubs, so I knew what it was like to be away from home.

"I've always got support from my family who always follow me for my games so I didn't really miss home because I knew I would be alright. It was the fact of leaving Newcastle and a lot of friends, but it was the right time to move on and really progress my career.

"I want to end my career knowing that I've played as many games as I could and scored as many goals as I could, and that's the opportunity Blackburn gave, where I needed to take it.

It was incredible [playing for Newcastle United] – being a Geordie myself and coming through the academy, making my first-team debut under Alan Pardew. I'm thankful to him as well for showing his trust in me at such a young age.

"For any local lad at any team, it's always extra-special when you eventually do make your debut for your first team. I look back on it with fond memories and it's something that I really enjoyed."