Russell Martin has taken a big squad to Spain as Southampton step up their pre-season preparations.
Having had his first look at his Southampton players in action in the 7-1 friendly win over Eastleigh on Friday, Russell Martin has taken his squad on a week-long training camp in Spain.
Here, Southampton will benefit from a warm weather training camp in which they face two French opponents in Bordeaux on Wednesday and Montpellier on Saturday.
A number of youth players have travelled with the senior side, whilst the seven summer signings have also made the trip.
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However, two first-team players were left at home as their team-mates travelled to Spain and Martin has now revealed the reason why.
Russell Martin reveals why Ross Stewart and Armel Bella-Kotchap are absent from Southampton squad
Eagle-eyed Southampton fans would have noticed the lack of both Ross Stewart and Armel Bella-Kotchap in the club’s social media output since arriving in Spain on Sunday.
Neither player featured in the game against Eastleigh and now Martin has told the Saints fanbase when they can expect to see the duo in action.
Speaking to the Daily Echo, Martin explained Bella-Kotchap’s absence by saying: “Armel picked up a little something last week in training.
“We have amazing rehab facilities at Staplewood and it’s not quite the same out here, so like an anti-gravity running machine, the indoor pool you can run in.
“It’s a decision we’ve made, Armel will probably have to miss four or five days of training, he’ll be back to training by Thursday but we have a game on Wednesday.
“Thursday is a recovery day and then we play on Saturday which he isn’t quite ready for so for him to be out here for one day of training would have been pointless.”
He went on to speak on the reason Stewart did not travel, as he said: “He’s had two really good weeks but felt leggy, felt really tired, then we have to travel, be out here on a different pitch, in a different environment.
“Maybe it sounds a bit precious and we’re going overboard but we have to care for him. For us long term, we need to really look after him.
“Ross wanted to be here but then he understands the reason, so he’s back there, he’s doing a lot of work with the guys to continue to stay fit and be ready.”
The Saint boss then confirmed when the striker is likely to feature, saying: “When we get back, hopefully after another week or two of training, he’ll be ready to play some minutes in the games and we build him up from there.”
Will Stewart play a big part at Southampton this season?
Bella-Kotchap faces an uncertain future after spending last season on loan at PSV, whilst Stewart has undergone an incredibly frustrating time at Southampton.
Having arrived with an Achilles injury from Sunderland last summer, the 27-year-old made his long-awaited debut in November before suffering a hamstring injury in his second appearance that would keep him out until the final day of the season.
It is understandable that Martin wants to be cautious with the £10 million man after so long out injured but Southampton fans will be growing increasingly concerned that they will never see the best of the striker.
Having played just 13 games at Championship level prior to signing for the Saints last summer, it will be a big jump to play Premier League football after the best part of 18 months out injured.
Whether Stewart is capable of making that step is unknown given Southampton fans have seen just four cameo appearances from the Scot.