Stephens injury "not as bad as first feared"
Southampton manager Russell Martin provided a positive update on captain Jack Stephens, after the defender was forced off against Queens Park Rangers on Saturday.
The 29-year-old left the field in the 25th minute at St Mary's Stadium last time out; Shea Charles dropping back from midfield and filling his position next to Jan Bednarek for the remainder.
Despite fearing the worst, manager Martin assured fans Stephens will be back quicker than many imagined.
"Jack's injury is no where near as bad as we first feared, which is fantastic news for us.
"He's hurt his calf but he won't miss a huge amount of games. We expect him to miss seven, eight games and be back in the fold. I know it sounds a lot but we feared the worst with how he did his injury.
"So it's bad news as he'll be a big loss for us. His leadership, courage on the pitch, warrior mentality. But he'll still influence things from off the pitch. It's about getting it right and making sure he comes back and stays back."
Elsewhere the manager reiterated the good progress of Juan Larios, as he continues his recovery from long-term injury.
"Juan is back training full time now. He's tenacious, technically really gifted. He's pushing Ryan [Manning] really hard. We'll need to give him some game time between now and over the international break."
Finally midfielder Will Smallbone has also returned to full training this week following being forced off against Norwich City on matchday two.
The manager noted they'll see how ready the 23-year-old is ahead of Saturday's trip.
