Southampton FC: Russell Martin issues exciting new Ross Stewart update | OneFootball

Southampton manager Russell Martin has said that summer signing Ross Stewart is set to be involved against Leeds United on the final day of the season.

Ross Stewart set to return before the end of the season

The 27-year-old is expected to be on the bench for Southampton's final game of the 2023/24 season, before their play-off run starts, against Leeds United.

There was a fear that, after picking up a major hamstring injury shortly after his debut, that he wouldn't be available for the rest of the season, but it appears that his luck might have changed.

Martin said, last week, that there was hope among those at St Mary's that he'd be able to be involved in some capacity before the end of the 46th Championship game of Southampton's season, and that looks set to come true.

In his pre-match press conference, before the game against Stoke City on Saturday, the boss said that he expects Stewart to be on the bench to face the Whites, as per Alfie House.

The Saints signed Stewart from Sunderland last summer in a deal said to be worth £12 million.

The Scotsman had been a brilliant player for the Black Cats in both League One and the Championship, but an Achilles injury against Fulham in the FA Cup put an end to his 2022/23 campaign, and that ended up being his final game for the club.

Stewart arrived with great expectations, having completed the move late in the summer window.

They knew that he wasn't going to be available straight away, but the hamstring injury that he suffered against Huddersfield Town was a real body blow for him and the club.

After the setback in November, the Scottish boss said, to the Daily Echo: "I think we need to be honest and realistic with Ross. We probably won't see him again this season.

"Although it's a short-term pain for us, long-term we need Ross to have a full pre-season. To risk him for three or four weeks this season seems a bit crazy."

Since that fateful game at Craven Cottage, in January 2023, Stewart has only played 26 minutes of football.

Southampton must be confident of a Ross Stewart play-off impact

As the young Southampton boss previously said, there's not much point in risking the 27-year-old's fitness for a few games if it's going to come with the risk of causing another major injury.

The Saints aren't particularly short of options up front. Che Adams and Adam Armstrong are certainly viable options for this level. So the club must believe that Stewart is ready to play decent minutes in the play-offs.

The Scottish striker scored in Sunderland's play-off final win against Wycombe Wanderers two seasons ago, and the Saints will be hoping that he might be able to produce to a similar level this time around.

His Sunderland days show how good he can be at this level. The Saints can make it back to the top flight through the play-offs, but, if not, the numbers from when he was healthy show the big forward to be a very useful asset, especially in the second tier.

Luckily, because of the presence of Armstrong and Adams, they don't have to rush him back if he doesn't feel 100% straight away. Those two have been the main options anyway this season. Having Stewart is just a bonus on top of that.

But they do need to take care of him long-term. Martin and the rest of the staff will be excited to hopefully have him back properly, as opposed to the very brief stint they got in November.