SAINTS duo Charlie Austin and Mario Lemina aren’t helping themselves at all.

Manager Ralph Hasenhuttl has made it clear that they can move on if they feel as though they aren't going to play enough football next season.

And the way they've reacted since then is enough justification for him to let them leave.

Taking to social media to joke about the situation isn’t going to impress potential suitors – it’s more likely to make them think twice.

Mario Lemina last week was subject to enquiries from Manchester United, Arsenal and Leicester City.

However, things have gone quiet on that front.

It could merely be a coincidence, but interest has cooled since the Gabon international decided to upload a montage of his highlights in a Saints shirt accompanied with #TonicLikeLeminade.

Austin, on the other hand, uploaded a picture of someone being frozen out before deactivating his Twitter account.

Everyone is entitled to have a bit of banter, but in the long run who is it going to benefit?

When Hasenhuttl sees it, I doubt he will find it funny.

Does he really need two senior players disrupting a crucial pre-season, especially when there is more optimism around the club than at any time since the Ronald Koeman days.

The longer the summer goes on without either of them getting a move, they are making it more difficult for themselves to be welcomed back into the squad.

To draw a comparison from last season, both James Ward-Prowse and Oriol Romeu found themselves out of favour with ex-boss Mark Hughes.

And what did they do about it?

They didn’t take to social media to make fun of the situation, they put their head down and continued to act professional.

There’s no doubt behind the scenes that they were unhappy - Ward-Prowse even considered leaving so he could play first-team football.

But then Hasenhuttl arrived and noticed their impeccable levels of professionalism and willingness to improve.

As a result of this, they became two of the first names on the teamsheet.

Instead of trying this, Lemina gave an interview saying: “There’s no turning back now.”

Of the two want-away players, it’s more likely that the 25-year-old midfielder will end up at a bigger club.

There’s no doubt that Austin, if they play to his strengths, can do a job for a team battling relegation.

But having seen his antics on Twitter, they might just think twice about whether he’s the right character to have in the dressing room when the chips are down.

Which brings me back to the initial point; it may be fun and games now, but who benefits in the long run? Not them.