Euell be fit to face Charlton

Saints have been boosted by the news that Jason Euell’s leg injury is not as serious as was originally thought.

The former Jamaican international is understandably desperate to be involved in Southampton’s next fixture, which comes on April 4th against one of his former clubs, Charlton Athletic.

Euell enjoyed a successful five year spell at The Valley, scoring 34 goals in 139 league appearances for the Addicks.

Unfortunately for Euell, he had to withdraw in the first-half with a hamstring injury during this weekend’s 1-1 draw against Blackpool.

The 32-year old has played an important role for the south coast club since Mark Wotte took charge, with Euell being deployed in attack alongside Polish international Marek Saganowski in recent weeks.

The duo have formed a formidable partnership with Euell having already found the back of the net in his new role, scoring two goals in the 3-0 demolition of Ipswich Town at the start of the month.

He will now be hoping to continue his scoring form after the international break, which has come at exactly the right time to ensure that he will get the maximum amount of time to recover.

Bradley Wright-Phillips came off the bench to replace Euell with just 34 minutes played at Bloomfield Road, but the decision looks likely to have been a wise one in terms of minimizing his time on the sidelines.

Speaking to the club’s official website, Saints physio Mo Gimpel said, “Jason had a tight hamstring in the first-half against Blackpool but did the clever thing and came off before it tore.

“We’re hopeful that he will be alright for the next match against Charlton at the start of April.”

Euell has endured a difficult season on the south coast, having originally been out of favour under former boss Jan Poortvliet.

It was only after Mark Wotte’s appointment as Head Coach that the former Wimbledon player started to feature regularly for the Saints.

During the first half of the season however, Euell’s first-team involvement was disrupted by both suspension and injury.

He was controversially shown the red card against league leaders Wolves at St Mary’s, and upon his return to action, a dislocated shoulder kept him on the sidelines, which he suffered whilst on Reserve team duty against Bristol City.