\n The 28 year old departed the club to join Championship side West Brom on loan in February, having fallen out of favour with then-boss Ivan Juric.\n<\/p>\n
\n But the Baggies slipped out of the top six and into a mid-table finish by the end of the season, and Armstrong only hit three goals in 16 games.\n<\/p>\n
\n He matched that strike total in two weeks before the last international break, with goals against Hull City, Middlesbrough and Derby County.\n<\/p>\n
\n Saints were initially open to selling Armstrong when he left, but the club’s number nine, and play-off final winning hero, holds a different perspective.\n<\/p>\n
\n He told the Daily Echo: “I didn’t have any doubts, but I know there was doubts from you guys. I think you’ve got to just take everything as it comes.\n<\/p>\n
\n Adam Armstrong is one of Will Still’s most important players(Image: Stuart Martin)\n<\/p>\n
\n “The only reason I went on loan to West Brom was to play games and I couldn’t guarantee that from the manager that we had at the time.\n<\/p>\n
\n “It was a totally honest conversation that we had and I just wanted to go and play games. I’ve always said that during my career.\n<\/p>\n
\n “No matter what, I want to try and play as many as I can. That was that. Then I had a chat with Will Still in the summer and it was no different for me.\n<\/p>\n
\n “I was always coming back here in the summer to try and get back to the Premier League, and that’s where I’m at in my mind now.\n<\/p>\n
\n “Yes, there were a lot of conversations on, ‘What’s he going to do?’, and ‘What are the other boys going to do?’, coming back to the Championship.\n<\/p>\n
\n “But I think everyone’s on it now and we just want to get back to the Premier League. There’s still a core group of us who got promoted last time.”\n<\/p>\n
\n Armstrong added: “If we can try and share our knowledge of the league with all the new boys to try and get back, which is every kid’s dream, we will.”\n<\/p>\n
\n It is clear that Armstrong, who netted 24 goals and set up another 13 the last time Saints were in the second tier, is here to stay, and here to play.\n<\/p>\n
\n The next question was where on the pitch? He started the first three matches of the campaign as the central number nine, but with limited success.\n<\/p>\n
\n Manager Will Still has since acknowledged that he likes Armstrong in the right pocket, while he has also operated on the left of the central striker.\n<\/p>\n
\n “I feel comfortable anywhere across the front three, I can influence the game, whether it’s creating chances or scoring goals,” Armstrong insisted.\n<\/p>\n
\n “I’ve played up front all my life so it’s nothing new. People say, ‘You can’t play number nine’, but I scored 28 goals in the league playing number nine.\n<\/p>\n
\n “It’s not something that I can’t do, but maybe it’s about other people around me. In the last Championship season I was playing with Che Adams.\n<\/p>\n
\n Che Adams and Adam Armstrong are best pals off the pitch(Image: )\n<\/p>\n
\n “Che was class for me and we had a great partnership. Then you had Wee Man off the left, or sometimes Sam Edozie. We had quality all round.\n<\/p>\n
\n “I feel like that’s the same this year as well in number nine where we had obviously Big Ross [Stewart], and Damion [Downs] and Cam [Archer].\n<\/p>\n
\n “There’s a lot of attackers so he’s not just going to play one number nine every game. It’s going to be an open conversation, every game as it comes.\n<\/p>\n
\n “The gaffer might feel I’m best off the left one game, or the right, or striker. As long as I’m on the pitch, I need to make sure I’m influencing the game.”\n<\/p>\n
\n Armstrong should have put a fourth goal of the season on the board in Saturday’s 0-0 draw with Swansea City, but others had even bigger chances.\n<\/p>\n
\n But despite having the fewest touches of any 90-minute outfield player (28), his eight shots is at least double the total managed by everyone else.\n<\/p>\n
\n Armstrong, Leo Scienza and Cameron Archer linked up well to all but destroy Swansea, and are a workable combination if they can find a finishing touch.\n<\/p>\n
\n “We’ve looked back on the game and on another day we win by four or five,” Armstrong admitted. “It’s them fine margins in football.\n<\/p>\n
\n “If we win 1 or 2-0, everyone goes home happy. I think it frustrates everyone, footballers are the same. It was a game we knew that we had to win.\n<\/p>\n
\n “But we have to take positives from it and move on because the game’s come thick and fast. A few of the draws could have gone our way.\n<\/p>\n
\n “I think we’re finding the balance now of having the ball and dominating, so it’s up to us at the end of the pitch to try and put them chances away.\n<\/p>\n
\n “It’s been a bit of a slow start, but I think we’re finding our feet now with a lot of the new boys coming into the group, and they’re settling in nicely now.\n<\/p>\n
\n “It’s still early days, we have only played 10 games, there’s a long way to go.”\n<\/p>\n
\n \ud83d\udc40 A look at tonight’s #SkyBetChampionship<\/a> table… #EFL<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/yvyJCSgk2r<\/a>\n <\/p>\n