Southampton have been forced to delay the return of Jay Rodriguez after the striker suffered a further injury setback.
The England international was expected to make his comeback from a persistent knee injury before the end of the year, but Saints boss Ronald Koeman has now confirmed that he may not be back in action until February.
"He had to make a step back in his recovery," the Dutchman told reporters. "That was a pity because I remember when we spoke about the squad in the pre-season I said Jay will be like a fantastic signing for December or January and he isn't.
"All these kind of unlucky moments are part of the difficult time that we have.
"After a big injury, you don't have to rush. He needs time and we give him the time to come back, but it's a pity because he's a great player."
Rodriguez has not featured for the Saints since rupturing an anterior cruciate ligament at Manchester City last April.
Mark Langshaw
