Southampton’s struggles at the wrong end of the Premier League table were further heightened by Sunday’s narrow home defeat against current leaders Liverpool.
Despite battling back from conceding to a Dominik Szoboszlai goal with efforts from Adam Armstrong and Mateus Fernandes, the Saints fell to a sixth defeat in their last seven games. That left Russell Martin’s side sat at the bottom of the table and they now lie five points from safety as they prepare to visit Brighton and Hove Albion on Friday night.
Martin will be hoping to receive some positive news on the injury front over the coming days as he continues to go into battle without the services of several key players. So what are the latest fitness updates and possible return dates for the Saints injured stars?
Adam Lallana
The former Brighton midfielder picked up a hamstring injury in Sunday’s home defeat against another of his old clubs, Liverpool. Lallana is still being assessed and no further updates have been given over the severity of the injury. Possible return date: Unknown.
Will Smallbone
The Saints academy product is facing a spell on the sidelines with a knee injury and may not return until the middle of next month. Speaking about the injury last month, Martin said: “Will is out now for a little bit of time, which is really frustrating and disappointing for us.” Possible return date: Mid-December.
Ross Stewart
The Scotland international has not appeared for the Saints since he came off during the first-half of a 3-1 defeat at Arsenal early last month. That remains just one of four appearances made by the former Sunderland striker this season and just one of nine since he joined from the Black Cats in September 2023. Possible return date: Mid-December.
Gavin Bazunu
The Republic of Ireland international underwent surgery on a ruptured Achilles tendon in April and was initially expected to be out of action until the early weeks of 2025. That initial target appears to be a realistic one as the Republic of Ireland goalkeeper continues to make his way back from a serious injury. Possible return date: February 2025.
Aaron Ramsdale
There was a further blow for Saints boss Martin when the England goalkeeper suffered a finger injury that ruled him out of the Three Lions squad for the final international break of the calendar year. Speaking last week, Martin said: “They’ll both be out for this weekend and a number of weeks. Aaron has had an operation on his finger; he’ll hopefully be back this side of Christmas.” Possible return date: Late December.
Jan Bednarek
The Saints defender picked up a knee injury during the recent international break but Martin moved to calm fears over the severity of the injury recently. He said: “We spoke really quickly after the (Poland) game. He was really worried about his knee injury. Thankfully, the injury is not as significant as we feared. Hopefully, a week or two before Aaron (Ramsdale).” Possible return date: Early December.
