Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhuttl says he is unsure of whether Danny Ings will be able to return from injury against Crystal Palace on Tuesday evening.
Ralph Hasenhuttl said “I don’t know for sure about Danny Ings yet but it is possible. We will look at him today.”
Elsewhere in the team, Hasenhuttl confirmed that the Saints will also be without central midfielder Oriol Romeu, who has been out of action since February with a broken ankle. The 29-year-old underwent a scan at the end of last week in order to be able to return to training, but will not be fit enough to take part against Crystal Palace. Meanwhile, Ryan Bertrand will not return to action with a calf strain keeping him out, as he approaches the end of his contract on the South Coast.
Ralph Hasenhuttl said said “Oriol Romeu and Ryan Bertrand are still not available.”
Safety is likely for the Saints, with Fulham needing all four wins and hoping one of Southampton, Burnley or Brighton pick up less than three points in their remaining fixtures. Hasenhuttl confirmed that it is possible that Ings could play a part against Palace, but stated that there would be a fitness test for the striker before the game. 28-year-old Danny Ings was forced off the pitch during the Saints’ 2-1 defeat against Tottenham last month with a hamstring injury, and has since missed subsequent fixtures against Leicester and his former club Liverpool. Ings has been Southampton’s top scorer this season with 10 goals in the Premier League, but has had a frustrating run with injuries, only making 25 appearances in total in the league. Hasenhuttl will have been hoping to have the striker back for the end-of-season run-in, as Saints have dropped off a long way since their positive early season form and find themselves 16th in the Premier League table.
