Southampton boss Ralph Hasenhuttl has confirmed that neither Oriol Romeu or Takumi Minamino will be fit to face Everton on Monday.
The Toffees are set to host the Saints at Goodison on Monday Night Football next week, with the home side hoping to build on last weekend’s impressive victory over Liverpool.
Southampton meanwhile have suffered turbulent form since the New Year, having gone eight consecutive games in the Premier League without a win since early January.
Speaking ahead of Monday’s game on Merseyside (via Hampshire Live), Hasenhuttl confirmed that the club have added two more major players to their growing list of injuries. He said: “We have another two injuries. Oriol Romeu’s season is over. Surgery means months out after he fractures his ankle. It will take maybe three months that he is out.
“And Taki Minamino is out too for the weekend. He has a slight muscle injury. That leaves us with [Kyle] Walker-Peters, [Ibrahima] Diallo, [Theo] Walcott and also Will Smallbone and Michael Obafemi also injured.”
Significant boss for Toffees
Everton have slipped up against so called ‘lesser clubs’ a number of times this season, so with Saints missing a number of stars hopefully we can take full advantage.
West Ham currently sit fourth in the table because they’ve been comfortably dispatching bottom half sides over the past few months, and we need that same mentality.
Romeu has been ever present for Saints this season while Minamino has impressed since his winter window loan switch, so the South Coast club will surely suffer in their absences.
Now it’s up to Carlo Ancelotti and his squad to realise their European ambition this season by putting Saints away and claiming three points as painlessly as possible.
In other Everton news, Fabrizio Romano has confirmed that Everton are ‘working to sign’ Norwich defender Max Aarons.