Southampton manager Russell Martin has provided a significant injury update regarding one important Saints player ahead of their Championship play-off clash with West Brom.
Southampton preparing for play-off clash
Saints finished their 46-game Championship season with an impressive 2-1 win away to Leeds United on Saturday afternoon as they got the better of their fellow promotion hopefuls.
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It was a strong end to what has largely been a positive campaign at St Mary's, but they now face the lottery of the play-offs, joining Leeds, West Brom and Norwich City in the battle to join Leicester City and Ipswich Town in the Premier League next season.
Southampton ended up finishing in fourth place, meaning they have lined up a two-legged semi-final meeting with West Brom, as they look to get the better of the Baggies and seal a place in the final at Wembley later this month.
In order for the south coast side to have the best possible chance of returning to the top flight at the first attempt, they need as few injuries as possible, but Martin saw key striker Che Adams leave the field prematurely at home to Leeds. It was an immediate worry ahead of next Sunday's trip to the Hawthorns to take on the Baggies, putting the Scotland international in doubt for the game.
Martin drops significant Southampton news
Speaking after the Leeds game on Saturday [via the Echo], Martin gave a positive Southampton injury update regarding Adams. Clearly, the Saints boss had no intention of taking any chances, especially with their league position safe.
"He felt a bit of tightness. There is no point carrying on and risking him after that. I think he will be alright. Thankfully we also had Ross Stewart to bring on today, which was really amazing for us."
This has to be seen as an encouraging update for Southampton, considering Russell seems confident of Adams making a swift recovery, and he does at least have a week to further work on his recovery.
The 27-year-old would be a massive loss for Saints given the fact that he scored 16 goals in the regular Championship season and netted twice in the FA Cup, also chipping in with four assists. Ally McCoist has lauded him in the past, too, which is high praise from Scottish legend, saying:
"First and foremost, we now have a striker who is a first pick every week for a very good team in the English Premier League. It’s been a long time since a Scotland manager has had that luxury. Adams has started his international career really positively and has scored in the last two games against Moldova and Denmark. Apart from that, his general play has been terrific."
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Adams' vast experience could be priceless for Southampton in the two legs against West Brom and in the final if they make it, so the hope is that he is in the starting lineup at The Hawthorns next weekend, shrugging off this current knock.