Southampton: Potentially crucial Saints injury news ahead of Cardiff clash
By Marc Walker
Southampton have received some mixed injury news ahead of their crucial Premier League clash with Cardiff City on Saturday.
Striker Danny Ings is set to be ruled out for around 2-3 weeks after a recurrence of his hamstring injury, but it’s not all bad news for Ralph Hasenhuttl.
Ryan Bertrand, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Maya Yoshida are expected to be back in the squad this weekend and will provide some much-needed experience in the upcoming games.
Speaking to the media about the mixed news he has received on the fitness of these three, Hasenhuttl said:
"“(Ings) had a problem with his hamstring and that has cost him another two or three weeks. That’s not good, and we miss him for sure because he is a good player and a good striker.“The good thing is that Pierre is back after his concussion. We missed him at the weekend and it’s good that he’s back.“Ryan Bertrand is back and training consistently, and Maya Yoshida is back after the Asian Cup.”"
Next. Saints need a clean sheet against Cardiff. dark
After previously having a settled starting 11 that had given his side some positive results, Hasenhuttl now has a number of selection conundrums to sort ahead of Cardiff’s visit to St Mary’s.
Ings’ absence will give an opportunity for either Charlie Austin or Shane Long to lead the line in attack after falling behind their teammate in the pecking order.
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Hojbjerg is likely to take the place of academy graduate Callum Slattery, who made his first Premier League start at Burnley last weekend.
Ryan Bertrand’s return to the team may also be a straightforward swap with fellow Left-Back Matt Targett, who has done a solid but not perfect job filling in for the past two months.
Yoshida’s return is less sure though with Saints’ Centre-Backs performing well overall.
The Japanese international was playing the central role in a back-three before going off on international duty and Jack Stephens has done a good job in that role recently.
It was Stephens’ handball that gave Burnley their equalising penalty last weekend at Turf Moor but it would certainly be harsh for him if he was to drop out because of that after television replays showed he was fouled.
Whilst these problems may cause a headache for the Saints boss, it also highlights a competitive edge about the current squad he has at his disposal.
A hungry group of players is exactly what is needed at this stage of the season to get the club away from the relegation zone and out of danger.