FORMER Saint Charlie Austin has been asked by the Football Association to explain his offensive comments aimed at the club's fans on Twitter.

The West Brom striker, who joined the club from Saints last summer, responded to criticism from fans on Twitter with an expletive-laden rant on Saturday.

Austin, 30, had initially retweeted a comment on the dangers of social media, but responded to replies from two Saints supporters and criticised the fanbase for not backing the team.

He tweeted: "You’re s**t fans, you don’t sing to get behind the team only when they score never when they need a boost."

The expletive-laden tweets have since been deleted from Austin's Twitter account.

The FA is understood to be investigating the incident and has asked Austin for his observations.

Austin was allowed to leave the club after being deemed surplus to requirements by manager Ralph Hasenhuttl and was also made to train away from the first-team squad.

In January 2019, Austin admitted to an FA charge and was banned for two games after gesturing at Manchester City fans when substituted in Southampton's 3-1 defeat at St Mary's on December 30.

Austin made over 80 appearances for Saints, scoring 20 goals in all competitions before joining West Brom for £4m last summer.

He has scored nine times in 28 matches in total this season for the Baggies, who are top of the Sky Bet Championship.