Southampton: Theo Walcott not available for Everton clash

The new-ish Southampton man can not play against his parent club in this match so who should replace him in the starting lineup?

Because of a rule (a silly rule in my opinion) Theo Walcott is not allowed to play in a match against the club that has loaned him out. So that leaves Ralph with a few questions he needs to answer.

What will the starting XI look like without Walcott? Stuart Armstrong will likely slide back into his starting position if he is available but if he is not the choice will become interesting. It is possible we see Will Smallbone out there or Nathan Tella who came on in the last match for a struggling Redmond.

If Smallbone does start we may actually see Ward-Prowse slide up to Armstrong’s position and the Irishman will play next to Romeu. Hopefully, Armstrong is healthy and all of this will not have to be worried about.

Something that is interesting is what is going on with Nathan Redmond? He has not looked himself yet this season and has not had the impact on matches we are used to.

He is playing a little timid and was yanked for youngster Tella last match who was much better than the man he replaced. We may soon see someone else starting on the left if Redmond does not start producing and that will be a big change from what the lineup has typically looked liked under Hasenhuttl.

All of these questions and more may be answered on Sunday when Southampton take on the Toffees in another big match for both clubs.