Southampton goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale says he is not interested in winning trophies if it means he has to sit on the bench all season.

Ramsdale, who joined the Saints from Arsenal was explaining his decision to leave the club who are challenging at the top of the table to play for the struggling Saints who head into the latest round of fixtures second from bottom.

“If I was sitting on the bench, winning a trophy wouldn’t have meant that much to me,” Ramsdale told BBC One’s Football Focus.

“I just wanted to play football. As a kid I wanted to play football to play, not to just sit on a bench.

“Getting out and playing was my aim, so I’m lucky I found myself here at Southampton,” he said.

Last time out Southampton lost 3-1 to their big south-coast rivals Bournemouth. And their task of moving up the table is not going to get any easier this weekend as they face Ramsdale’s former club Arsenal.

But the five-cap England international said he doubted that manager Russell Martin would change his approach despite the teams poor start to the season. “Russell Martin is top,” he said.

“His enthusiasm, the way he wants to play, the way he wants to do things – he’s going to stick by it.

“He’s not going to change because other people say he needs to,” he said.

Arsenal versus Southampton kicks off on Saturday at 4pm.