Southampton may be hoping to have Flynn Downes fit and available again for their clash with Millwall on Saturday afternoon.
After being forced off during their 5-3 win over Huddersfield Town earlier this month, the midfielder has missed the Saints’ last three games.
Russell Martin‘s side have since lost two of those three games. Prior to that, they had been unbeaten in 25 in all competitions.
Those defeats have dented the club’s hopes of securing automatic promotion back to the Premier League. The return of Downes would therefore be a big boost for Southampton.
However, it remains to be seen if that will come in time for the on-loan West Ham man to face Millwall this weekend.
Flynn Downes set for late fitness call
With Downes seemingly progressing well in his recovery, it appears the midfielder is not far away from being ready to play again.
He has been training with Southampton, in what seems to be a positive step forward for him.
However, the way he responds to those sessions will seemingly impact whether or not Downes plays a part on Saturday.
Providing an update on Downes’ fitness ahead of Saturday’s game, Martin was quoted by Daily Echo reporter Alfie House as saying: “He has trained for a couple of days so we just need to assess how he reacts and make a decision on tomorrow, whether he starts or is on the bench or we wait until Liverpool.”
That clash with Liverpool comes in the fifth round of the FA Cup on Wednesday night.
Southampton must be careful with midfielder’s fitness
It feels vital that Downes is not rushed back too quickly by Southampton after his absence.
There are still plenty of games left for Martin’s side to play between now and the end of the season, that will be crucial in the fight for promotion.
Downes will be needed for as many of those as possible. Consequently, it makes little sense for them to bring him back early, if it means he picks up another setback that keeps him out for even more matches.
Indeed, it should also be remembered that Millwall come into this game badly lacking in form, so much so that they have just changed their manager.
As a result, Southampton may feel they are able to pick up all three points, while keeping Downes in reserve for more challenging fixtures that may be still to come.
All of that means there is plenty for Martin to think about when it comes to his selection choices for Saturday.
With that in mind, it will be interesting to see what part Downes play in this game for Southampton.