MATTHEW Le Tissier has been ruled out of Saturday's trip to Everton and almost certainly the visit of Sheffield Wednesday the following week.

The Saints striker has had a scan on the troublesome Achilles injury which has plagued him since the first match of pre-season.

And although he has been cleared of any immediate need for surgery, doctors have ordered complete rest.

He said: "The scan showed there is tendonitis but it did not reveal any tear, so there is no need for an operation at the moment.

"I have just got to let it settle so that I am 100 per cent when I come back but it is hard to know how long it will take. It could be a week or three or even longer.

"I would think I will probably miss the next two games but then there is a two-week break for internationals, which is probably good timing. It will give me an extra fortnight to recover so maybe I will make the match at Middlesbrough.

"I have tried to play through it but I have been feeling it in every game since it happened in Norway. Now it has got to the stage where I am just in too much pain to be comfortable.

"It is very frustrating because I can't even kick a ball until I can jog with no pain so I will just have to do non weight-bearing work in the gym."

Brighter news is that James Beattie resumed light training yesterday and has set his sights on a possible return against Sheffield Wednesday.

That would be well ahead of schedule after suffering broken ribs and a punctured lung in a fall on the eve of the new season.

He said: "I want to train properly but the doctors won't let me. I can only do non-contact work at the moment.

"I can understand where they are coming from because the rib which is still hurting is the one which punctured the lung and they don't want it to happen again.

"I can play through the pain but they want it to heal for a bit longer. If I can begin full training on Monday then I have a chance of playing next week."

Chris Marsden and Jason Dodd remain doubtful for Saturday's game.

The fee for Steve Basham's move from Southampton to Preston will be decided by tribunal a week today.

Saints are believed to be asking for £1.3 million while the Second Division club have offered around £100,000.

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