Lewis Ludlam rubbishes 'frozen out' comments while dropping hint over future

Amid reports Northampton Saints captain Lewis Ludlam may be leaving Franklin's Gardens at the end of the season, he sent an emphatic message today saying "I still bleed green."

The England flanker has been out of action since November with an ankle injury, and in that time his side have gone on an unbeaten run in the Investec Champions Cup and the Gallagher Premiership, including a sensational win against Exeter Chiefs on Saturday after being 26-0 down, which has seen them climb to the top of the league ladder.

During that period, plenty of his teammates have signed new deals at the club, but the 28-year-old has not been part of that cohort. With his contract expiring at the end of the season, and with rumours swirling about a move to France ever since the World Cup concluded, the back row took to X recently to say that his commitment to the club has not wavered.

This is in response to posts where the 25-cap international felt it was being implied he was being frozen out of the team due to his lack of activity online. However, he said that this was simply because he is out with his injury. He added that he expects to be back in the coming weeks, which will provide a major boost to both Saints director of rugby Phil Dowson and England head coach Steve Borthwick.

With Northampton looking to be in a strong position to compete on a domestic and European front in the second half of the season, Ludlam will be crucial to their campaign. Then again, given the way he plays whenever he dons the white of England or the green, black and yellow of Northampton, there should never have been any question marks over his commitment.

"Been seeing a lot of comments directed to me about my lack of posting implying I’m being “frozen out” from the team," the flanker wrote online. "Injured at the moment and hoping to be back in the fold next few weeks. I’m still here and grafting everyday, hence staying off socials. I’m with the team every single day and even though I’m not playing remain committed to this team winning. Don’t write me off just yet, I still bleed green."

While this is a positive for Northampton for the rest of the season, it does not necessarily provide anything concrete over what is over the horizon heading into next season and beyond. An additional comment on his post did however provide a hint as to where his future lies, when he wrote "And I haven’t sold my house."

Nothing is certain, but amid plenty of rumours over where Ludlam will be next season, this may well be a subtle hint that he is staying put.