Southampton boss Ivan Juric affirmed that Armel Bella-Kotchap remains "one of the team” for the moment.
The 23-year-old, who last featured as a substitute against Cardiff City in the Carabao Cup, had sought a move away in the last two transfer windows.
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Despite being named in five of Juric's last six Premier League squads, Bella-Kotchap has yet to make his return to the pitch.
Juric told the Daily Echo: "I really want to be honest with everybody and with him. I'm honest that he's really working hard and working well.
"Physically he doesn't have any problem. My idea is that I know that I have to see him in the game, and how he reacts.
"It's a really long time that he doesn't play, and he has moments when he's very good and moments when he can do it better.
"He's like one of the team, he's here, and if I think that he can play, he will play.”