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Wesley Hoedt will return to Southampton on August 17th after spending the 2019/20 season on loan at Royal Antwerp.

The 26-year-old has been highly critical of Ralph Hasenhüttl, after suggesting he was “unjustly treated” by the Saints manager.

He has two more years left on his contract at St Mary’s, but a clean break this summer looks best for everyone involved.

When asked about his future, he told Het Nieuwsblad: “There are a number of things going on, there is enough interest. I cannot say more about it, because I remain dependent on Southampton. The intention is that this time I leave permanently.”

The Dutchman made 25 appearances in all competitions for Antwerp, and his performances for them has seen him linked with a move to Club Brugge.

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The centre-back is delighted with the rumours around his future, and he has also opened the door to a return to Royal Antwerp this summer.

“I just read rumours about Club Brugge, but that amazes me. I haven’t heard anything about that yet, so I just see it as a compliment,” the Southampton owned player explained.

“However, given the special corona situation, you would be crazy to exclude things, even if nothing is going on at the moment, even a return to Antwerp is not something I can exclude.

“I was there [Antwerp] yesterday, but that was to pick up some stuff and wish the boys good luck.”

Although the league in Belgium was cancelled due to the Coronavirus outbreak, the Belgian Cup final has been postponed to later this weekend.

Antwerp take on Club Brugge, and Hoedt explained why he will not be involved in the cup final.

“It would have been very nice if I could have brought that cup to Antwerp. But my contract expired in June and there was never any question of staying a month longer,” the defender stressed.

Whereas not so long ago Hoedt scoffed at the idea of a permanent move to Belgium, feeling his level is too high, now his outlook seems to have changed.