Southampton’s head coach Tonda Eckert issues fresh striker’s fitness update

SAINTS head coach Tonda Eckert eased concerns over the fitness of Ross Stewart, despite his absence from the 3-1 win at Sheffield Wednesday.

The Scottish striker was not part of the squad that travelled to Hillsborough, with Eckert citing “muscle tightness” in the build-up to the match.

Stewart played 20 minutes as a substitute in Tuesday’s 5-0 victory over QPR, with Saints keen to manage his minutes after three years of injuries.

But Eckert confirmed that, though he was missing at Wednesday, he is expected to be part of the FA Cup squad at Fulham next week.

“He’ll be back in training next week, and I’m very sure that he’ll be involved in the Fulham game,” said Eckert, speaking after the match.

“I understand worries, but it’s more precautionary at this moment because we know how important he is for us. There’s nothing to worry about.”

Caspar Jander also missed the clash with the Owls through illness, while midfield partner Flynn Downes was left on the bench as an unused substitite.

The former West Ham man had been playing through the pain barrier in recent weeks, but Eckert explained this decision was purely tactical.

Downes is on nine yellow cards this season, with an automatic two-match ban handed out for a 10th booking accumulated in the first 37 league fixtures.

“We’ve managed his pain quite well, but that was from the knock that he got in the home game [against Watford],” insisted Eckert.

“This was just the fact he was on nine yellow cards. We knew we might need him to play some minutes at the end, but there’s nothing else going on.”