Fraser details tough summer in limbo between Newcastle and Southampton

The self-proclaimed happiest man alive rejoined Saints on deadline day - signing a two-year contract - on a free transfer from Newcastle United.

The deal saw Fraser secure the move he had been waiting all summer for. The Scottish winger was only planning a return to St Mary's.

He spent the summer travelling back and forth to Newcastle in order to train on his own - away from the senior team and even the under-21s.

"The first day going back up there was tough," Fraser explained, speaking to the Daily Echo. "No disrespect to Newcastle but I knew that I was going to be training by myself.

"I've got to say, the under-21s coaches I worked with up there looked after me. We worked hard together and tried to get the best out of the situation.

"From speaking to Russell all the time and speaking to the club, it was always going to be a last-minute thing.

"It was tough but I'm glad to get it done. There are a lot of worse things in this world that people deal with. My situation is nothing compared to that."

Ryan Fraser (left) has not played a competitive game since the play-off final win over Leeds United in May. (Image: PA/Nick Potts)
Fraser spent most of his days at Newcastle in one-to-one coaching sessions which revolved around running to keep fit.

"Sometimes I'd get to work with Aki, who's the technical coach. We would work one-to-one with and just pass balls and cross. The small stuff.

"Last week was actually my first full training session with more than one person. I've had to use my experience to get back involved."

Fraser admitted it was difficult to spend pre-season in limbo but insisted it was something he was willing to do for the club.

The former Cherries winger did have doubts that a deal might not get done but the interest shown from Saints kept his mind at ease.

"There were times when I was probably thinking too much about it," he continued. "I would go back to the hotel and think 'Is this going to happen?'

"But to be honest with you, the club wanted me. I just knew, because it was going to be on a free as well, that it would more than likely get done at a later stage."

Fraser is in contention to feature for Southampton when they welcome Manchester United to St Mary's on Saturday.

Russell Martin admitted he had to hold the winger back in training to ensure his enthusiasm didn't cause an injury.

Fraser played 40 minutes in an intra-squad friendly during the international break - his first minutes since the play-off final triumph over Leeds United.

However, despite his lack of a proper pre-season, the former Scotland international revealed his training plan has not differed from his teammates.

Ryan Fraser has signed a two-year deal at Saints (Image: Southampton FC)
"It's been no different," he explained. "There's literally been no difference. I played a 40-minute game last week and there was one session after that where I came out at the end.

"Apart from that, I've tried to do as much as I could with the lads and I feel good. That 40-minute game was really good for me.

"It was a really good game for the lads. We have a big squad now so it was a chance to show the manager what we can do. Fight for places.

"Hopefully, if I'm not involved this weekend, I can get some minutes against Everton and then we can just go from there. I will try my best to help the team in any way that I can."