Mixed team news ahead of Newcastle
The manager has confirmed a mixed bag of team news ahead of Saturday's trip to Newcastle United, with a number of key personnel returning, but also some fresh injury concerns.
Stuart Armstrong is unlikely to feature at the weekend, as he's picked up a muscle issue, but there may be a first chance to catch a glimpse of new signing Takumi Minamino, who joined Saints on deadline day this week.
The defensive ranks have received a considerable boost, as it was confirmed earlier that Jan Bednarek's red card has been overturned thanks to a successful appeal, while Jannik Vestergaard may also be nearing a return to full fitness.
Oriol Romeu and Kyle Walker-Peters are on track to provide additional options in the near future, which are very welcome during such a busy period, the manager said.
Speaking about Bednarek's situation, the boss commented: "It was the only possible decision for us. It's just a pity that this decision was not made during the game because maybe there would have been less drama.
"The squad feeling is that we've made this experience once and what happened afterwards was a reaction that everyone wanted to show.
"Games like this can happen from time to time. It's up to us to show what team we are. The good thing is, after every setback, you see new hope.
"Oriol [Romeu] is training today, we maybe have Jannik [Vestergaard] back available for the weekend. I see Minamino training today, he's made a fantastic start already. This gives us all an emotional lift to be honest.
"I had today the first time to speak to him at length. It's the right choice for us, I'm very happy he's around the team. He's showed me already he's got the qualities to help us.
"Stu [Armstrong] has a problem with his muscle, he'll be out for this weekend. The problems with injuries do not stop. Kyle [Walker-Peters] is maybe available. But there's no good news without bad news."
