Southampton have been handed a big injury blow ahead of the FA Cup clash with Liverpool, with one player having "no chance" of being fit, according to Russell Martin.
Southampton injury news
The Saints suffered a shock 2-1 defeat at home to struggling Millwall on Saturday afternoon, acting as a big blow to their Championship automatic promotion hopes. It means they are now five points adrift of Leeds United, sitting fourth in the table, and improvements are needed in the coming weeks.
In fairness to Southampton, injuries haven't helped of late, with Martin having to make do without a number of important players at such a key point in the season.
The likes of Ross Stewart and Juan Larios are among those who are unavailable for Saints currently, with Flynn Downes also absent, and it is hurting the squad depth at a time when fixtures are coming thick and fast.
Now, another concerning update has emerged regarding an influential Southampton ace, at a time when bad news seems to be overtaking positive updates.
Southampton suffer Ryan Fraser blow
On X, journalist George Rees-Julian shared Martin's update on Ryan Fraser, with the Southampton manager saying he has "no chance" of playing against Liverpool.
"Russell Martin says Ryan Fraser has 'no chance' of being ready for Liverpool as he is on crutches after going off injured today."
More depth regarding the situation was also provided by Rees-Julian in an update for The Daily Echo, with Martin revealing te winger needed crutches to leave the stadium.
"It is a sore one. We will have to assess things. He took a whack on his knee. Wee Man comes off and we lost a lot. We lost a lot of running and threat of assists and goals.
"I've not got a clue at the moment how bad it is. He won't be available for the Liverpool game with the way he is. He is on crutches."
Losing Fraser for the Liverpool game is one thing, but in truth, the bigger picture is more concerning, in terms of possibly not having him around for a big chunk of Southampton's promotion run-in. Defeat is arguably to be expected at Anfield, even though the Reds are also injury-affected, and it is the Championship that takes precedence.
Hopefully, the Scot's injury is not a serious one, but the fact that he was on crutches after the Millwall game can't bode well. He would be a big miss, with Martin showering him with praise earlier in the year, saying:
"He was really good, really brilliant. He has such an amazing attitude and is a good example for the young boys. He’s been great coming off the bench recently, now Sam Edozie’s got an injury so Ryan has put himself in the frame to play from the start. As long as he brings what he does all the time then he will be a big player of us."
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Fraser has six goals and two assists to his name in the league this season, and the 30-year-old's absence could potentially define their campaign between now and May, so Martin will be desperate to hear good news about him soon.
