Russell Martin will need to make some key changes in order to disrupt Man United.
Southampton are set to face a tough task as they welcome Manchester United to St Mary’s.
With zero points on the board after three games, and just the one goal courtesy of Yuki Sugawara, Southampton have already shown signs of struggling in the Premier League and Saints fans will be hoping that the timely international break was used wisely.
Adam Armstrong is one individual who has struggled to adapt to the lofty heights of the Premier League so far in the 2024/25 campaign, as well as the entire attacking line, who have yet found a way past the opposition keeper in the league.
There will be plenty of eyes on how Russell Martin sets his side up to play against a fairly inconsistent and at times leaky Manchester United side, and all eyes will be on the line-up for the 12:30pm kick-off.
Here are three things that Southampton fans will be looking for in their squad…
Will Ross Stewart return to the Southampton squad
Scottish forward Ross Stewart has barely had a taste of action since he joined Southampton after tallying just 42 minutes of game time in total since he joined.
He had quite the goal record at Sunderland prior to his injury woes and there is no doubt plenty of optimism that Martin will be able to get him back in the squad, with him making it clear that he is in contention to be part of the squad to face Manchester United.
Any action he gets will be minimal as Martin will hopefully not jump the gun and give him excessive minutes after coming back from a serious injury.
Will Russell Martin persevere with Adam Armstrong
Armstrong has had his troubles, like the rest of the front line, so far in the 2024/25 Premier League season.
It could be a case that Martin looks to play the attacker out wide, where he thrived during the Championship promotion-winning season, which would certainly place a lot less pressure and importance on the physical side of his game, which has seen him struggle so far.
A lot of it comes down to confidence at this moment for Armstrong, and Martin will need to persevere with him as he clearly has the talents in front of goal, he is just struggling to adapt to Martin’s style of play, which is not as effective in the Premier League compared to last season.
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Will Tyler Dibling be handed his first Premier League start
Whilst all over the board Southampton have been very poor and sloppy, youngster Tyler Dibling has been a diamond in the rough for the Saints when coming off the bench and making an impact.
In comparison to the likes of Joe Aribo and Will Smallbone in the centre-of-the-park, he shows much more dynamism, a willingness to go for the ball and a sense of belief that has been drained from the majority of the Southampton ranks.
He has undoubtedly shown enough to warrant his first Premier League start at this moment, and it would no doubt make a difference for Martin’s side.