da brwin： This article is part of Football FanCast’s Injury News series, which considers the impact of the latest updates on players’ fitness.
da dobrowin： Southampton boss Ralph Hasenhuttl has confirmed that Sofiane Boufal is a doubt to start Wednesday evening’s game against Norwich.
The Moroccan injured his ankle after banging it on a table while at home, but still managed to make an appearance off the bench against Watford last weekend.
However, Hasenhuttl has stated that Boufal’s issue is “getting much worse” and cast doubt on the former Lille man’s chances of starting against the Canaries, although the Austrian did mention that his skilful forward might be able to appear from the bench again.
“I must say it’s getting worse. After the match, the reaction was not the best one, so for Wednesday it will be difficult, I think. Maybe from the bench, but not from the beginning.”
A real shame
After his excellent cameo appearance from the bench against Watford, this update is a real shame to hear.
Boufal may have potentially earned himself a start given how well he performed in his 34-minute cameo against the Hornets, helping turn the game on its head having completed five dribbles and one key pass in just over half-an-hour on the field.
It’s not all bad if he can do one thing
As Hasenhuttl mentions, Boufal still might be able to appear from the bench, so this unfortunate injury update isn’t all bad if the 26-year-old can do just that and perform as effectively as he did against Watford.
The Hornets were leading 1-0 before the £16m man’s introduction, where Boufal’s direct attacking play helped see Danny Ings and James Ward-Prowse net a goal each in five minutes during the last 12 minutes of the match.
The African put Nathan Redmond to shame with his influential role from the bench, as the former Norwich attacker recorded just one dribble and no key passes in comparison.
One would assume that Hasenhuttl would have liked to have his game-changer available from the first whistle against Norwich, but if Boufal can do what he did against Watford from the bench, this injury update isn’t all that bad.
In other Southampton news, take a look at how these supporters on Twitter reacted to a fine piece of skill from Boufal against Watford…