According to media reports Tino Livramento is set to miss not only the rest of this season, but the rest of the year after suffering a cruciate ligament injury to his knee in the draw at Brighton.
The Mail online is reporting that Tino Livramento will be out until early 2023 after being stretchered off against Brighton after going down in an innocuous challenge with Brighton midfielder Enock Mwepu .
The Saints man went down straight away and waved for assistance with the referee being alerted to his predicament by Mwepu himself.
He was given oxygen on the pitch and was clearly in some distress as he was stretchered off the pitch shortly before the break.
First indications are that it is a serious injury and he is likely to undergo surgery once the swelling has subsided and that it will be an 8-9 month lay off meaning that he is not likely to return until January 2023.
That is not as long a break as it sounds in that although he will miss the last four games of this season, the summer break will mean that the first three months of his lay off will mainly be the close season, but with the World Cup in Quatar meaning that the Premier League will be suspended after 11th November and not resume until Boxing Day, that will mean in essence he will only miss the first three months of next season of the 8 or 9 months he is likely to be out.
Hopefully age will be on his side here and he will be a quick healer and be ready to return around Xmas.
Luckily we are well served in the full back positions, with Kyle Walker Peters and Yan Valery able to play at right back and on the left Romain Perraud & upcoming teenager Thierry Small contesting that position.
Livramento had a knee issue earlier in the season, but that was the other leg and that has sine recovered and was not affecting his game