Adam Armstrong is delighted to have secured a second chance in the Premier League, his only disappointment being that it wasn’t with Rovers.

Armstrong said he moved to Ewood Park as a boy and leaves a man after securing his switch to Southampton for what Rovers describe as a ‘significant undisclosed fee’.

That is understood to be an initial payment of £15m from the Saints for Armstrong who scored 29 goals last season and he leaves Rovers have netted 64 times during a three-and-a-half year stay.

The 24-year-old took the decision to leave boyhood club Newcastle United in 2018, the Magpies receiving 40 per cent of the profit after selling him to Rovers for £1.75m after hitting nine goals during a loan spell.

Armstrong admits the time has passed quickly, but he is excited about the prospect of having another crack at the Premier League after never fully getting the opportunity in Newcastle colours.

“I look back at those three-and-a-half years and it’s been a pure joy both on and off the pitch,” Armstrong said.

“I’ve always said how tough it was for me to leave Newcastle, a club I’d been at for all my life. But I knew it was the next step for me and that I had to take it to play games and improve as a player.

“I feel I came to Rovers as a boy and I leave as a man. I’ve grown into myself both on and off the pitch and I am so thankful for Rovers in getting me back to the Premier League.

“I’ve worked my socks off to get to the Premier League, whether that be with Rovers or with someone else, and I’m gutted that it hasn’t been with Rovers, to be honest.

“It wasn’t meant to be, but I have the opportunity to be back in the Premier League and I’m hopeful that I will have a really positive next few years ahead for me.

“Blackburn Rovers will always have a place in my heart."

Armstrong was in early on Monday to say his goodbyes to the club staff before heading down to the south coast to undergo his medical, his unveiling by the Saints coming two hours ahead of Rovers’ Carabao Cup defeat to Morecambe.

He says he will always look back fondly on his time at the club where he believes he has improved each season, putting him in a position whereby he was a target for Premier League clubs.

“I’m so thankful for everything that Rovers have done for me both on and off the pitch, everyone at the club made me so welcome from the first day I arrived,” he added.

“The fans have been brilliant to me and I only have positive things to say about my time at Rovers.

“Coming to Rovers three-and-a-half years ago, I knew I needed to work hard and get my head down in a bid to get back to where I wanted to be.

“I couldn’t have done it without Rovers, the gaffer, the staff, everyone.

“I feel I’ve improved every year I’ve been at the club and I’m just delighted that I could spend so many great moments here at Blackburn Rovers.

“It’s a time that I’ll have so many fond memories of, I’ll miss all the people and have made friends for life during my time here.

“As for the fans, I have to thank them for everything they’ve done for me. They’ve been brilliant to me and took me in as one of their own."