Southampton boss Mark Hughes axes Guido Carrillo and Sofiane Boufal from pre-season tour of China
Big-money buys Guido Carrillo and Sofiane Boufal face fight for their future - but new boy Mohamed Elyounoussi will jet out
MARK HUGHES has put the future of big-money buys Guido Carrillo and Sofiane Boufal in doubt - by ditching them from Southampton's 30-man squad to tour China.
Argentine striker Carillo, 27, was goalless in ten games after his club-record £19million arrival from Monaco in January, while attacking midfielder Boufal, 24, has struggled since joining from Lille for around £16m two years ago.
Norway frontman Mohamed Elyounoussi, 23, who signed from Basel yesterday for £18m, will fly out to China soon.
Boss Hughes told the : 'I'm quite excited and the majority of the guys understand exactly what I want, what my standards are and what I am asking them to do
'We are looking forward to it. There's some good quality games within the two weeks.
'The point is to get the majority of the guys back and we've got a few new faces as well.
"So that's always good to be together as a group for a certain length of time. It helps new guys to integrate.
"So we've got the benefit of a good three, four months work, going into the new season."
Southampton will face Bundesliga runners-up Schalke and Jiangsu Suning, who finished fourth in the Chinese Super League, in the Club Super Cup.
And Hughes is clearly keen on making big decisions early.
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Targetman Carillo failed to adjust to the Premier League
Boufal, meanwhile, was hailed as a major signing by then boss Claude Puel in 2016.
But the Morocco star has also struggled for goals and impact in England.