New signing from Steau Bucharest Florin Gardos could be in line for a Premier League debut for Saints against West Brom.
Strangely due to our desperation for a central defender after the departure of Dejan Lovren, Florin Gardos arrived with a fairly long term injury niggle, allegedly picking up a hamstring injury 4-5 weeks ago in pre season training, Steua allegedly played him through it and aggravated the problem meaning that he was not fit to face Liverpool last week.
Seven days later and he has had intensive treatment and has been training with the squad ahead of the game, however Ronald Koeman aided by his medical staff must now decide if he is ready to face the Baggies or whether it would be better leaving it another week before being plunging him into action.
My opinion and I obviously don't know the severity or otherwise of the injury is that we would be better giving it another week, hamstrings are things that in the main need rest as well as treatment, if you come back too early from this type of injury and it goes again you could be back to square one, therefore better safe than sorry.
If that turns out to be the case then it will be Yoshida again although something in me perhaps thinks that Koeman might sling in Jack Stephens, the young central defender has league experience both for Plymouth from whom he joined us from and Swindon on loan last season although obviously that is not in the Premier League, I have the feeling that Koeman rates the player though and you have to make your league debut sometime, West Brom at home with respect to the Baggies is a better game than most to do that, Stephens has had good grounding since he joined us 3 years ago and now at 20 he is as ready to make his debut as he will ever be.