Mauricio Pellegrino revealed in a press conference that Charlie Austin has been ruled out for a significant amount of time due to a suspected hamstring tear.
“We will see but I expect Charlie will be out for a couple of months, minimum. It is a big pity because Charlie was in a really good moment.”
The 28-year-old limped off in the 79th minute of the 1-1 draw against Huddersfield Town. This is a huge blow for Southampton who have currently gone 8 games in the league without a win.
Austin is the leading goal scorer for The Saints this season with 5 goals and was a sharp presence in the lone striker role. His goal tally does not quite reflect the threat he possesses to opposition defence.
Southampton have faced their worst run of the season in the month of December and have fallen way below the points table in recent weeks. It can be attributed to the injury concerns of quite a few first team players and a rigorous schedule around the holiday period.
Although Shane Long returned to the starting lineup in their previous fixture against Manchester United he is yet to score since February. The striker’s 35 game goal drought is not ideal for them in the current climate and needs to be snapped as soon as possible.
Manolo Gabbiadini is the second choice to replace Austin with 3 goals this season. The Italian arrived with great pomp last year and scored the 2 goals for his side in the EFL Cup final against Manchester United.
The second half of the season is a tough ordeal for clubs in the bottom half of the table and near to the relegation zone. Competing against elite sides as well as fearing a drop to a lower division, forces managers to be ruthless with his player selection.
Therefore this is a good opportunity for the Italian to resurrect his spot in the starting XI even though he has fallen down the pecking order this season.
Pellegrino was quoted saying,”OK it is something that happens but the good news for Shane and Manolo is that they will have more minutes to compete and it’s a possibility for them.”
The manager’s problems got compounded when both full-backs Cedric Soares and Ryan Bertrand picked up injuries in the sides 1-0 loss to Chelsea.
With the January transfer window upon us, will the Saints invest in a few additions to bolster the squad for an improved second half of the season?
