Southampton boss issues striker warning that will have Preston, Leicester, Leeds & Co on high alert

Preston North End have been warned ahead of their Championship showdown with Southampton tomorrow tonight.

Ryan Lowe’s side play host to the Saints at Deepdale as they look to end their five-match run without a win. The fourth-placed Lilywhites will also be keen to get one over Russell Martin’s troopa as they sit just one point and a place above Southampton in the league table.

To do that, though, they’ll have to ensure former Blackburn striker Adam Armstrong is kept quiet.

The 26-year-old currently has seven goals to his name this season and is the Championship’s joint-second top scorer behind Sunderland’s Jack Clarke.

But according to Martin, Saints’ £15m 2021 summer signing from Ewood Park is still to hit his straps this season as he prepares for a return to Lancashire.

Speaking ahead of tonight’s Deepdale game, he warned PNE and the Championship’s other promotion hopefuls: ‘Adam’s really demanding of himself. I spoke to him the other day and he feels like he hasn’t really got going yet. I think he’s the second-top scorer in the league, which is a nice thing for us.

‘We are still trying to work out the best way to utilise him, in and around the final third.

‘ He’s so valuable and intelligent. He gives everything that he has got every day, brilliant character, he wants to learn. He is really demanding of us and challenging us in a positive way.

‘He is a good example to the rest of the group and is really flexible tactically. Mentality-wise he’s right up there.’

If Preston were not aware of Armstrong’s levels before Martin’s assessment then there’s something seriously wrong. Indeed, the former Newcastle trainee has scored against the Lilywhites in each of his past three games against them - all for Blackburn.

Tomorrow night’s Championship game will be the first league meeting between the two sides since the 2008-09 season, when Southampton came out on top in both fixtures.