Southampton saw their FA Cup campaign come to an end for another season on Wednesday night.
Making the long trip from St Mary’s to Anfield, the Saints were eliminated at the fifth round stage, following a 3-0 defeat to Liverpool.
A goal just before halftime from debutant Lewis Koumas opened the scoring for the hosts. Another youngster, Jayden Danns, then came off the bench to net two more in the second half.
As a result, it is now four defeats in five in all competitions for Russell Martin‘s side.
What may be a bigger concern for Southampton though, is the injury that appears to have been suffered by Kyle Walker-Peters.
Russell Martin comments on Southampton injury scare
Having started every Championship game the Saints have played this season, Walker-Peters dropped to the bench from the start against Liverpool on Wednesday.
He was then introduced to the action as a second-half substitute, coming on in the 58th minute in place of James Bree.
However, Walker-Peters himself lasted just 17 minutes. With a quarter of an hour left on the clock, the 26-year-old quickly headed down the tunnel to be replaced by Taylor Harwood-Bellis.
Now it seems as though the full nature of that concern for the Southampton man, is yet to become clear.
Speaking after the game to BBC Radio Solent Sport about Walker-Peters’ sudden exit from the action, Martin said: “I don’t know, bit of a strange one, he said he felt his quad. We weren’t even aware of it. The referee told us. So we’ll have to asses it and hope he’s not out for too long.”
Southampton are back in action on Saturday afternoon. That sees them return their focus to the Championship, as they travel to St Andrew’s to face Birmingham City.
Kyle Walker-Peters injury a big concern
It goes without saying that this injury scare for Walker-Peters is a massive concern for the Saints.
The fact that he has started every league game this season shows just how important he is to Southampton, and their push for promotion.
As a result, it would be a major blow for the club to lose him now, at such a critical stage of the season.
Indeed, he is one of those players who does have the quality, that would help turnaround their recent dip in form, which could now make him a massive miss.
That is further enhanced when you consider the fact that Bree is himself only just returning from an extended spell on the sidelines.
It may therefore be a big ask for him to suddenly take on the heavy workload left by Walker-Peters on the right-hand side of defence.
With that in mind, plenty of those of a Southampton persuasion will surely be desperate to get positive news on Walker-Peters in the next few days.