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Southampton striker Ross Stewart has struggled to make an impact since arriving at St Mary's, mainly due to injuries, and journalist Dean Jones has discussed the prospect of Russell Martin bringing in another forward, in an interview with GIVEMESPORT.

The Saints signed Stewart in the summer transfer window from Sunderland for a deal which could total £12m, according to The Athletic - a relatively big fee for a Championship club. The south coast club secured the signature of the Scottish striker knowing he had an injury, and the supporters at St Mary's had to wait a while to see their new signing in action.

Stewart has now suffered another injury which has kept him out of the last two games which is undoubtedly a major concern for Martin. The Saints are doing reasonably well without him, but it's a huge shame after investing a lot of money in bringing him to the club.

Southampton's signing Stewart has backfired

After arriving at Southampton, Stewart didn't make his first-team debut until 11th November, coming off the bench in the final few minutes against West Bromwich Albion. The former Sunderland forward came off the bench once again against Huddersfield in their next fixture but hasn't been seen in a Southampton shirt since. Martin later confirmed that the striker won't be available until after Christmas...

“Ross has worked so hard to get fit and he lands in a real compromising position late in the Huddersfield game. We won’t expect him this side of Christmas, more likely mid-to-late January. He’s seeing a specialist. We’re really heartbroken for Ross. It’s not the same injury. I feel like we haven’t rushed him, everyone’s been in agreement with the plan. It's really unfortunate and we're really disappointed.”

It was always going to be a bit of a risk for Southampton to bring Stewart to the club when he was already injured, but his goal record for Sunderland speaks for itself. Martin also has Che Adams, Adam Armstrong, and Sekou Mara to call upon in attack, so it's not a disastrous situation for the Championship club. However, the money spent could have been invested elsewhere with his fitness issues, but Southampton will be hoping that in the long run, the transfer will pay off and he becomes a regular at St Mary's.

Dean Jones verdict

Jones has suggested that some of the Southampton fans will already be feeling that the signing of Stewart is a bit of a let down and they needed this addition to pay off. The journalist adds that former Saints striker Danny Ings could become available in January, so it will be interesting to see if there's a chance they can bring him back to the club in the winter. Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, Jones said...

Danny Ings could be available for Russell Martin

Journalist Jones previously told GIVEMESPORT that West Ham are potentially exploring the possibility of bringing in a new striker during the January transfer window. As a result, Ings could fall even further down the pecking order and is already behind Michail Antonio and even Jarrod Bowen in the centre-forward role.

Paul Brown has also told GIVEMESPORT that Ings needs to move on now for the sake of his career, so a departure could be likely when the winter window opens for business. Whether dropping down to the Championship would be of interest to the former Southampton man remains to be seen, but it could be a smart addition for Martin.