Liverpool have had to contend with numerous injury setbacks of late, and one of their upcoming opponents were also dealt a setback in that regard today.
Southampton make the trip to Anfield in the FA Cup fifth round on Wednesday night, and they’ll have to plan without Ryan Fraser, who limped off after just 19 minutes of their 1-2 defeat to Millwall in the Championship this afternoon.
Daily Echo reporter George Rees-Julian shared further bad news for Saints fans shortly after the match at St Mary’s, posting on X: “Russell Martin says Ryan Fraser has ‘no chance’ of being ready for Liverpool as he is on crutches after going off injured today.”
Russell Martin says Ryan Fraser has "no chance" of being ready for Liverpool as he is on crutches after going off injured today.#SaintsFC
— George Rees-Julian (@rees_julian) February 24, 2024
Fraser’s injury blow comes as a significant setback to a Southampton side who’ve stumbled of late after a club-record 25 matches unbeaten, losing three of their last four games.
The Scottish winger has six goals and two assists to his name in the Championship this season, with only two teammates outscoring him (WhoScored).
Furthermore, while it may now have been more than seven years ago, Jurgen Klopp won’t have forgotten the 30-year-old’s mesmerising performance in Bournemouth’s 4-3 win over Liverpool in December 2016, when he scored one goal and set up two more (Transfermarkt).
Southampton’s hopes of pulling off a cup upset at Anfield certainly appear to have been hindered by this body blow to Fraser, although the Reds will still need to be wary of potent threats such as Adam Armstrong and Che Adams.
Considering the spate of injuries with which we’re currently contending, it’s not a situation that we’d wish on any other club, and we hope that the Scotsman makes a swift recovery from this setback and is back playing as soon as possible.