Southampton: Strike duo injury concerns ahead of Monday
By Marc Walker
Southampton strikers Shane Long and Charlie Austin face a race against time to be fit for their side’s Premier League clash with Brighton on Monday evening.
Mark Hughes confirmed on Thursday morning that both players had not trained in the past week, but a positive is that Danny Ings has recovered from a bad blister and no other problems have been reported by Southampton’s first-team players on international duty.
Long has been suffering with a toe injury which saw him leave the pitch against Crystal Palace two weeks ago and Austin has a hamstring complaint.
Speaking to the media in his pre-match press conference, Hughes said:
"“None of the internationals have reported injuries as we stand, so we’re hoping none are reported today.“We have concerns with Shane Long and Charlie Austin, who haven’t trained this week, but we’re hoping to have them back over the weekend.“Danny Ings has a bad blister. He tore a chunk of skin off his foot against Everton and he was taking painkillers to stop the pain.“He’s not having injections anymore and he’s back in training, so we’re hoping there are no more problems with that.”"
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Both Long and Ings have been the first-choice strike partnership under Hughes in recent games and their pace and movement caused the Crystal Palace defence problems.
Austin scored his first goal of the season as Saints beat Monday’s opponents Brighton in the Carabao Cup but has looked rather less effective in the league games he has played.
Manolo Gabbiadini seems to be the clubs forgotten man again this season but could potentially be handed a lifeline this week if any of the other three strikers are ruled out.
Key players such as Cedric, Mario Lemina, Jannik Vestergaard and Alex McCarthy did not play for their national sides during the past two weeks, and that could be a blessing in disguise for Hughes with no fresh injury concerns.
Saints will be looking for their third consecutive win in all competitions on Monday and a first Premier League win over Brighton. The South Coast clubs played out two 1-1 draw last season, with both matches proving to be tight affairs.
A first victory of the campaign in front of the St Mary’s crowd could also provide another boost. Saints fans have seen little to get them excited at home in recent years but a positive result could signal a turn of fortunes under Mark Hughes.