Southampton have been served a huge blow with news main striker Charlie Austin will be sidelined for the next two months with a hamstring injury, reports The Daily Mail.
Austin sustained a suspected hamstring tear towards the end of Southampton’s 1-1 draw with Huddersfield seven days ago after scoring his fifth goal in five league starts.
The 28-year-old has been in sublime form for Southampton since establishing himself as a first-team regular under Mauricio Pellegrino at the end of November.
However, Austin is not expected to make a full recovery until the end of February, which will almost certainly force Pellegrino into the January transfer market for a new striker.
Southampton have struggled for goals this season and the loss of Austin will only make it harder for Pellegrino’s side.
The Saints want to sign Daniel Sturridge on loan from Liverpool and re-sign Arsenal striker Theo Walcott next month but wages could price them out of a move for both players.
Of players that have scored more than five times in the Premier League this season, only Harry Kane (1 every 92.6 minutes of action) and Sergio Aguero (1 every 98.4 minutes of action) are scoring more frequently than Austin (1 every 99.8 minutes of action).
