SAINTS defender Juan Larios is set to join striker Ross Stewart in the medical treatment room until after Christmas following a new injury setback.
It is a cruel blow for the 20 year old Spaniard, whose last league appearance in a fledgeling career blighted by injuries came in November 2022.
Larios returned to play the final few moments of Southampton's 5-3 Carabao Cup win over Cardiff City in August but has been sidelined again.
Signed from Manchester City in 2022, Larios remains under contract with Saints until June 2027, and will be given every chance to recover.
Stewart, meanwhile, is continuing his recovery following an injury suffered 27 minutes into his first Premier League start at Arsenal last month.
Manager Russell Martin said: "Ross and Juan are not going to be ready this side of Christmas unfortunately, they've had such bad luck.
Stephens, Larios, Walker-Peters, Boot and Onuachu - all I expect to not be involved - are doing some runs with the physio separately before the warm-ups. #SaintsFC pic.twitter.com/IFNFe2LPbT
— Alfie House (@AlfieHouseEcho) July 27, 2024
"I don't really know what else to say about these two other than that it's not through a lack of hard work or a lack of expertise in the medical department.
"Sometimes it's just bad luck, it really is, and we've seen so many consultants about both of them, we have people working with them.
"We've sent them to different places and now we just need to try and get them ready again for the next challenge. Ross will be sooner back than Juan.
"Hopefully, he will be available in the new year but we are just going to have to be really, really understanding of how we can use him," Martin continued.
"Until the end of the season or once he gets back fit and it might be that he becomes a player that we can impact games from the bench initially.
"Rather than trying to rush him back to fully start and be playing 60 or 70 minutes every week, we'll just have to assess it.
"They're both great people and it's just a really upsetting part of the game unfortunately when people have such misfortune and a terrible time with injury.
"We'll do it all we can and the guys are in as good a place as they can be mentally in terms of where they're at and we just have to make sure of that."
Saints are also set to be without Adam Lallana for the Premier League trip to Brighton on Friday, while Paul Onuachu faces a late fitness test.
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