Southampton manager Claude Puel has confirmed that Virgil van Dijk will miss up to three months with an ankle injury.
The 25-year-old picked up the injury during his side's 3-0 win over Leicester City on January 22, and is now expected to be sidelined until April at the earliest, ruling him out of the EFL Cup final against Manchester United later this month.
Puel confirmed that the Saints wanted to dip into the transfer market to find a replacement for the Dutchman, but were unable to get a deal over the line before Tuesday's deadline.
"He will not be available for many weeks, two or three months. It's an important problem and difficult for us. He is important for the group and the fans with his quality and leadership," he told reporters.
"It's a blow but we will find a solution. For the semi-final second leg against Liverpool we got a fantastic result without him and we will continue with other possibilities. Ryan Bertrand can play in this position, and we will see with young players like Jack Stephens. We have possibilities.
"We studied a lot of solutions and possibilities but we could not find a good opportunity in January. We worked hard but without success so we continue with this squad to find a solution."
Stephens has filled in for Southampton in recent weeks after they also lost Jose Fonte during the January transfer window.
Barney Corkhill
