Russell Martin was a little short on options when he turned to his Southampton bench as his side chased an equaliser in the 1-0 defeat against Newcastle United at the weekend.
Southampton have already made ten first-team signings this summer but only two players who were not at the club last season started Russell Martin‘s first game as a Premier League manager.
Taylor Harwood-Bellis and Flynn Downes both started having made last season’s loans permanent but the only new faces were right-back Yukinari Sugawara and striker Ben Brereton Diaz.
With Newcastle down to ten men from the 28th minute after Fabian Schar took an altercation with Brereton Diaz too far, the Saints were unable to break down a resolute Newcastle defence.
Samuel Edozie replaced Sugawara at half-time in an attacking move, whilst Tyler Dibling, new signing Cameron Archer, Sam Amo-Ameyaw and Carlos Alcaraz all entered the fray in the second half.
Dibling and Amo-Ameyaw are very talented but both just 18, whilst Archer only arrived at Southampton on Friday.
- READ MORE: Who is Mateus Fernandes? The ‘complete’ £16m gem set to become Southampton’s 11th summer signing
Russell Martin confirms when injured Southampton stars could return
Martin will undoubtedly want more options available to him and he could be set to get that soon as he provided an injury update on a trio of crocked stars.
Ross Stewart has made just four appearances for Southampton since arriving at the club with an Achilles issue last summer, whilst Adam Lallana is yet to make his second debut for the club having pulled out of the first friendly of the summer in the warm up.
To add to that, club record signing Kamaldeen Sulemana sustained an injury against Oxford United in pre-season but Martin has now provided a positive update on all three absentees.
Martin told the Daily Echo: “I think they’ll all be back on the grass next week.
“You’ll see them smiling and running around with the lads. They are all quite advanced in their rehab so they will be back.
“Hopefully in contention for the Carabao Cup game. I would suggest Forest after only a few days of training next week would be maybe too much.
“We’ll see – but we are hopeful that the week after that, all three of them will be back in contention properly.”
Southampton travel to Cardiff City in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday 27th August.
Kamaldeen Sulemana could prove a good option for Southampton this season
It is fair to say Sulemana is yet to live up to his £22 million price tag in a Southampton shirt.
The winger arrived at the club on deadline day of January last year but has scored just twice for the the Saints; a brace in a meaningless 4-4 draw with Liverpool with Southampton already relegated in the 2022/23 season.
Many expected the Ghanaian winger to leave last summer – just six months after arriving – but injury in pre-season ensured that did not happen.
The same has happened this summer after Martin barely utilised the 22-year-old at the business end of last season.
Currently still at the club, Sulemana could yet make an impact for the Saints in the Premier League as his lighting pace and trickery are perhaps better suited to the top flight than the Championship.
In his one meaningful spell in the team last season Sulemana was constantly fouled every time the threatened to get in behind but Premier League players may be reluctant to admit defeat so willingly which could work in Sulemana’s favour.
It will be interesting to see how involved Sulemana is upon his return but many a Southampton fan will be thinking it’s about time he repaid some of that £22 million fee.