LOANEE Joe Rothwell admitted he is "massively open" to joining Saints permanently should his time at AFC Bournemouth be over.

The 29 year old joined Southampton from Premier League Cherries in January in a bid for more playing time.

Since joining Russell Martin's side, Rothwell has played 267 minutes in the Championship, a tick under the 381 he played in the Premier League.

The former Blackburn midfielder has been used as Stuart Armstrong's understudy but netted crucial goals against Huddersfield and Sunderland.

Asked if he would like to stay next season, Rothwell was respectful to his parent side while also expressing a desire to join Saints.

He responded to the Daily Echo: "Why not?

"I've really enjoyed my time here. If my time at Bournemouth has come and passed, then it's something I'm massively open to.

Daily Echo: Joe Rothwell's quickfire double secured victory over Sunderland on SaturdayJoe Rothwell's quickfire double secured victory over Sunderland on Saturday (Image: PA)

"But I'm not thinking about that at the minute.

"My main focus is to finish as high as we can and hopefully get into those automatic spots to get this club back to the Premier League."

Saturday's win over Sunderland was Southampton's final Championship game until Friday, March 29, when they host Middlesbrough.

"The international break will be good for us," Rothwell noted. "We will get some good time on the training ground. We haven't had that for a month or so.

"It has been game, recover, game, recover. We haven't had much time to work on the training ground. 

"I think the manager is looking forward to getting some proper sessions into the lads who aren't going away. It's also a chance for a lot of us to rest and recover. "

David Brooks has been called up by Wales while Jan Bednarek is expected to be a part of Poland's squad this month.

Poland and Wales are both in Path A of the European Championship qualifying playoffs and could face each other in the final in Cardiff.

A brief stint away from Saints and a new focus could allow players to return to Staplewood with renewed energy ahead of the final 10 games. 

"I don't know how they are looking at it but I think it could help," Rothwell added.

"From speaking to Brooksy I know how much he enjoys going away with the national team.

"It will be really good for him and they could end up playing a really big game against Jan. I'm sure it's something they are both looking forward to."