'Heartbroken' Southampton boss confirms extent of fresh Ross Stewart injury blow

Former Sunderland striker Ross Stewart has suffered another injury set-back, with Southampton boss Russell Martin confirming he will be out until late January.

Stewart suffered a torn Achilles tendon on his final appearance for Sunderland – an FA Cup third round fixture at Fulham back in January.

He was sold to Southampton on deadline day for £10million, who were happy to take a chance on him despite him still being a couple of months away from a return.

That return finally happened earlier this month, with Stewart making appearances off the bench against West Brom and Huddersfield.

However, after a grand total of 17 minutes of football this season, Stewart is back on the treatment table again and won’t feature for two months.

“Ross has worked so hard to get fit and he lands in a real compromising position late in the Huddersfield game,” Martin said.

"We won’t expect him this side of Christmas, more likely mid-to-late January. He’s seeing a specialist.

“We’re really heartbroken for Ross. It’s not the same injury. I feel like we haven’t rushed him, everyone’s been in agreement with the plan. It's really unfortunate and we're really disappointed.”

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