Ralph Hasenhuttl has confirmed that Stuart Armstrong will be out for the Saints next two Premier League games, ruling him out of fixtures against Watford and Norwich City.
Speaking to the press ahead of this weekend’s crucial match against the Hornets via Southampton’s official website, Hasenhuttl admitted that the Scottish international picked up a knock in Southampton’s last Premier League game against Arsenal, with Armstrong coming off with five minutes of normal time left against the Gunners.
Will Southampton's season kick-off from here?AbsolutelyNo way, we need major improvements |
The Austrian manager said when asked about if there were any fresh injury concerns for this weekend’s match against Watford: “We have a few issues, one is Stuart Armstrong. In the last game at the end, he cramped a little. He has a few problems with his hamstrings. He isn’t able to play at the weekend. Maybe two weeks he is out. After Newcastle, we will look again.”
As well as Armstrong, winger Sofiane Boufal is also a doubt for Saturday’s game against Watford after the Moroccan international injured his toe away from the football pitch, potentially ruling out the former Lille attacker.
Southampton are yet to win a Premier League game since claiming a 1-0 victory over Sheffield United in mid-September, a barren run of form that currently sees the Saints sat four points off of safety in the Premier League table.
With Watford on just as poor a run than Southampton this season, Saturday will prove to be a massive fixture for both clubs and one that either side will be eager to claim all three points for.
A win against Watford will set Southampton up perfectly for their follow-up game against Norwich, who too are sat in the relegation zone after 13 games this season.
With Armstrong out for this weekend’s game, it will be a difficult task for Southampton to play their way to a win that is yet to happen in over two months, and the Scottish international will be a big loss for Hasnehuttl in what could be his most important game in charge of the south coast side as of yet.
