Southampton have suffered three defeats from three games upon their return to the Premier League as Russell Martin has work to do with his players over the first international break of the season.
Southampton lost their first two league games 1-0 to Newcastle United and Nottingham Forest, before suffering a 3-1 defeat away at Brentford on Saturday.
This sees Russell Martin‘s team enter the first international break of the campaign 19th in the Premier League with Everton the only club below them.
The only reprieve has been the 5-3 win over Cardiff City in the second round of the Carabao Cup but that result will be little consolation for Martin.
The Saints boss will be spending the break on the training pitch with his players to devise a plan to beat Manchester United on September 14th.
- READ MORE: Russell Martin now knows one key change he has to make after Southampton lost to Brentford
However, he will be without a number of his stars, with ten Southampton players representing their country over the international break.
With that in mind, here’s a look at those players set to be away from Staplewood ahead of the return to league action.
England U-21 – Taylor Harwood-Bellis and Nathan Wood
Central defensive duo Taylor Harwood-Bellis and Nathan Wood have been called up to represent England under-21s by interim manager Ben Futcher with usual boss Lee Carlsey stepping up temporarily to take charge of the senior side.
Harwood-Bellis is England under-21 captain and should lead the side in both the U21 Euro 2025 qualifier against Northern Ireland on Friday night and friendly against Austria on Monday.
England U-19 – Tyler Dibling and Sam Amo-Ameyaw
18-year-old duo Tyler Dibling and Sam Amo-Ameyaw have both featured for Southampton in the Premier League this season.
Dibling in particular has stood out as his displays off the bench have left fans calling for a start against Manchester United, whilst Amo-Ameyaw scored his first senior goal against Cardiff.
- READ MORE: Russell Martin explains why ‘incredible’ Southampton player is yet to make Premier League start
Enland under-19s face a triple-header of friendlies against tough opposition in Italy, Croatia and Germany before returning to Southampton.
Ireland – Will Smallbone
Continuing the theme of England, Will Smallbone will be part of the Ireland squad that face the senior side in the Nations League on Saturday evening.
The 24-year-old will also be involved against Greece in the second Nations League game on Tuesday night.
Poland – Jan Bednarek
Also in Nations League action is Jan Bednarek, with the experienced defender hoping to add to his 60 Poland caps.
Bendarek does not have to travel far as Poland start with a trip to face Scotland on Thursday night before travelling to Croatia on Sunday night.
The good news for Southampton is that Poland’s scheduling means Bednarek should return in plenty of time ahead of Manchester United.
Japan – Yukinari Sugawara
Further afield, Japan international Yukinari Sugawara will be looking forward to starting Japan’s bid to qualify for the 2026 World Cup with a double header of qualifiers.
First up is a home game against China on Thursday, before an away game against Bahrain on Tuesday.
Chile – Ben Brereton Diaz
Chile are also hoping for a strong start to their World Cup qualifying campaign and Ben Brereton Diaz will be aiming to help with that.
The striker qualifies for Chile through his mother and will hope to add to his seven international goals against world champions Argentina and Bolivia before returning to St Mary’s.
France U-21 – Lesley Ugochukwu
Lesley Ugochukwu is yet to make his first Premier League appearance for Southampton but impressed in the cup win over Cardiff.
Martin will hope the midfielder can get more minutes in his legs as France under-21s take on Slovenia and Bosnia and Herzegovina in Euro 2025 qualifying.
Portugal U-21 – Mateus Fernandes
The teeth and final Southampton player on international duty is summer signing Mateus Fernandes.
- READ MORE: Who is Mateus Fernandes? The ‘complete’ £16m gem set to become Southampton’s 11th summer signing
The 20-year-old will hope to play a part as Portugal under-21s play just once, facing Croatia on Tuesday night.