Russell Martin’s Southampton team has slid to fourth in the Championship after losing three of their last four matches, including Saturday’s 2-1 loss to Millwall.
Southampton, Leeds United’s automatic promotion rivals, have suffered a huge injury blow in their pursuit of a top-two finish. Saints manager Russell Martin has revealed that Ryan Fraser will be out until the end of March.
The 30-year-old, on loan from Newcastle United, was forced off in Saturday’s loss to Millwall due to a knee injury. The winger is not likely to return to action until after the international break, which means he will miss their FA Cup fifth round match against Liverpool tomorrow night, as well as at least four league games.
Fraser has been a first-team regular for Southampton this season, scoring eight goals in 32 games. Martin stated: “He [Fraser] will be gone for a short period of time, sadly.
“It’s a bit of a blow for us, and a big blow for him, but he’ll be back probably after the international break.” Hopefully, everything will be well shortly thereafter.
“I don’t think he wants to go back to Newcastle for therapy. He wants to be a part of it here, especially in the dressing room. This would be our choice. He is a huge character in the locker room.”
Flynn Downes, a midfielder, has missed the Saints’ previous four games due to injury, while striker Ross Stewart is still out long-term. Southampton embarked on a club-record 25-game unbeaten run across all competitions from the end of September to the middle of February, but have lost ground in the fight for promotion after losing three of their last four games.
With 12 league games remaining, United are second in the Championship. Daniel Farke’s club leads Ipswich Town on goal difference, with Southampton five points down in fourth place after a terrible run of play.
