Russell Martin reveals Southampton face nervous wait over new Ross Stewart injury | OneFootball

Highlights

Southampton face a nervous wait concerning striker Ross Stewart after Russell Martin revealed last night that he has had scans on a new injury issue.

More news is expected on Friday but Stewart will not be available for Saturday's game against Cardiff City as the wait for his full Saints debut goes on.

Southampton sign Ross Stewart

The South Coast club raided Championship rivals Sunderland for the Scottish striker late in the summer transfer window as they looked to give Martin the tools he needs to win promotion back to the Premier League at the first time of asking.

According to The Athletic, the Saints paid an initial £8 million fee for the 27-year-old but the cost of the deal could rise by a further £4 million due to add-ons.

The move looked a smart one at the time, as Stewart scored 27 times as he fired the Black Cats to League One promotion in 2021/22 and then added 13 goals and three assists in 16 appearances in an injury-hit 2022/23 campaign.

But Southampton are yet to see any value for their money as the towering forward has been working his way back from the season-ending Achilles injury he suffered for Sunderland in February.

Stewart has appeared off the bench twice in recent weeks but his absence from the matchday squad for Wednesday night's 1-0 win over Bristol City at St Mary's was ominous, particularly as he had reportedly missed training on Tuesday, and Martin confirmed the bad news after the game.

Ross Stewart latest

the Echo, the Southampton boss delivered an update on the summer signing and revealed that the Saints now face a nervous wait.

He said: "Ross couldn't be in the squad. He has had a setback with his injury recovery and this sometimes happens when you come back from a long-term injury.

"We're assessing him but he couldn't be in the squad today and he won't be in the squad on Saturday.

"Hopefully, we will have an update on Friday with a bit more of a clear answer on Ross and where his situation is - he has been scanned."

Martin added: "It's a muscle injury, not his Achilles injury, his Achilles injury is fine. He landed in a really awkward position at the end of the game on Saturday.

"He managed to finish the game which gives us a chink of light but we have to be really careful with him and get the experts to have a look at it."

How big of a blow would another injury be?

It sounds as though Martin is hopeful that Stewart's new injury is only a minor one.

That's good news because a major setback for the Scot would be a massive blow for the Saints.

They're yet to really hit top gear and you wonder whether the 27-year-old, who boasts such an impressive goalscoring record in recent years, could be the missing piece.

As such, it's a nervous wait now for the South Coast club.

What next for Southampton?

Fourth-place Southampton are back at St Mary's on Saturday for the visit of Cardiff, who are ninth.

Martin's side are back on the road the following weekend as they travel to face Watford.