Russell Martin gives fresh lineup boost regarding £5 million star's return

Southampton fullback Yukinari Sugawara's injury against Leicester City was the turning point of the match in many ways. Firstly, Sugawara has been one of the most reliable performers for Russell Martin's side which was evident as the Saints looked rock-solid defensively in the right-back's presence.

Secondly, this injury led to manager Russell Martin making a huge substitution mistake by bringing in struggling star Ryan Fraser to face Jordan Ayew and Abdul Fatawu Issahaku on the right flank. Fifteen minutes later, Fraser received a red card and the Saints were down to ten players which led them to concede a massive last-minute 3-2 goal.

Russell Martin gives fresh lineup boost regarding £5 million star's return

On top of that, Southampton struggled to create goalscoring chances going forward and didn't advance much inside the final third as well. Hence, Sugawara's injury highlighted the Japan international's significance for Southampton since arriving in a £5 million transfer move from Eredivisie side AZ Alkmaar in the transfer window.

Thus, a large section of the Southampton fans are worried with the Saints defensive formation, who will play defending Premier League Champions Manchester City in the next matchday. However, there is a huge update on Sugawara as manager Russell Martin revealed that the 25-year-old could recover from his injury before the Manchester City match, saying,

"Yuki had to come off so we've managed him a little bit this week or having to manage him.

I think another 24 hours will depend on if he's ready to start or not. We'll have to make a decision on that."

- Russell Martin

Regardless of whether Sugawara returns to the starting lineup in this away fixture or plays as a second half substitute, a massive bost for Southampton is that Sugawara won't be sidelined with injury for a large number of matches. Further, Ryan Manning and Charlie Taylor have displayed their strengths while playing on the left side of the defence, thus, Martin could play Kyle Walker-Peters in his preferred right-back role in this match.

Moreover, Southampton have two important matches coming against Wolves and Everton and would want Sugawara to start and give two great performances in both matches. Hence, Martin should give some time to Sugawara to fully recover from his injury and return to full fitness in his level best form.

Thus, now it remains to be seen whether Martin decides to give some playing time to Sugawara against Manchester City in the away fixture.