Injury News: Bertrand Out for Southampton Opener
Southampton starting left-back Ryan Bertrand will miss Saturday’s game with an unspecified knee injury, club says.
Southampton left-back Ryan Bertrand was a late addition to the injury list Thursday afternoon, as manager Claude Puel told club media sources that the 27 year old would not be taking part in the team’s opening match versus Watford.
In a statement given today, Puel definitively ruled out Bertrand, but offered little insight into the nature of the injury, or how long the player could be out.
“Ryan Bertrand, he cannot play this game,” Puel told Southampton club media in a post-training interview. With regard to the severity of the injury, the Frenchman replied simply “we will see,” ruling Ryan Bertrand neither in nor definitively out for Southampton’s away match at Old Trafford.
In later comments to the South Coast-based Daily Echo, Puel elaborated on Bertrand’s condition, confirming that the 27 year old left-back had in fact re-injured his knee, but again downplayed the severity of the situation.
“No, he cannot play the next game, but with Targett and McQueen we have two players that can take his place,” the Southampton boss said, emphasizing the development from depth that has been a crucial component of this summer’s preseason campaign.
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“It’s not important, just something with his knee,” Puel added. “He has the same thing as last year. It’s important at the beginning of the season to stay quiet and calm.” The team’s wait-and-see approach to Bertrand’s knock is pragmatic, and sensible in the early going. With the first two games of the season more-or-less foregone conclusions, there’s little sense in rushing a player to fitness who may not be fully ready.
Next: Preview: Southampton vs. Watford
With Ryan Bertrand out, Southampton are likely to turn to 20 year old academy graduate Matt Targett, currently second-choice at the left back position. This switch could make tactics a bit interesting. Targett is a bit more comfortable playing up near midfield than traditional-back Bertrand, and has shown that he has the pace and discipline to play as an effective wing-back. With that in mind, fans could look for Claude Puel to encourage an overloaded attack on the left side, forcing Watford’s spread-out midfield to move off its zones and opening up space for Dusan Tadic and Shane Long on the other side.
Whatever the case may be, it should be clear by now that Southampton are no slouches when it comes to overcoming injury and adversity. There’s a reason the team motto is “We March On.”