STUART Armstrong has drawn on his experience at Celtic to help him settle in at Saints.

The midfielder was signed by former boss Mark Hughes last summer in a £7m deal from the Scottish Premier League giants.

However, Hughes was sacked last December which left Armstrong having to impress a new manager in his first few months at the club.

Armstrong said: “He [Hughes] did sign me, but in the same respect I didn’t play an awful lot at the beginning.

“There’s a lot of good players in that side, so it took me a bit of time to get into the team and play a bit more than I had previously.

“I suppose you always want the manager who signed you to stay, but it’s a result-driven business and things were not going to plan. The new manager has brought many good things to the team that have improved us and improved us in terms of results as well.

“Everyone wants to play, and everyone who goes to a new team wants to get off to a good start. Especially if you are in a new environment, and by yourself in that respect.

“Playing always helps when you are a new person, but you have to be patient and I tried to be.

“I think because I’ve had that experience at Celtic it has helped with Southampton because I have been there before. If I had not had that, I think I would be struggling more than I was in dealing with the mental side of why I wasn’t playing.

“But you’ve always got to have that belief in yourself you can get back into the team. That’s what it’s all about.”

Armstrong arrived at Saints with the intention of being Steven Davis’ long-term replacement.

Davis joined Rangers on loan in January until the end of the season, with his St Mary’s contract expiring in the summer.

And after a slow start to life in the Premier League, Armstrong came to life in the game against Fulham, netting a brace to bag his first goals for the club.

That streak continued into the home match with Manchester United in December when the Scottish international found the back of the net again.

When questioned about the Premier League, Armstrong said: “It’s a very fast game and a very physical game. I have played at points this season where someone makes a mistake and you are punished immediately. That’s the way it is down there.

“Everyone is desperate to get as high as they can in the league or if they are down the bottom they are desperate to stay in the league. It’s incredibly ruthless. I suppose that can only benefit you as a player.

“It is always nice to score especially against the big teams. It is the icing on the cake. But you want to take points with the goals. There has been many times this season when we have not got the points we felt we deserved.”