The manager addressed a Che Adams injury during a media discussion following the recent match. Southampton managed to secure a draw against Preston North End, extending their unbeaten streak to five Championship matches. They initially took the lead in the game just over 30 minutes in, with Kyle Walker-Peters playing a key role.
However, in the second half, Southampton struggled, and Preston quickly turned the game around, scoring two goals in three minutes through Milutin Osmajic and Brad Potts.
It wasn’t until the sixth minute of added time that Southampton managed to level the score, thanks to an own goal by Ched Evans under pressure from Saints’ goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu.
Despite the positive end result, the match had its share of frustrations, particularly as striker Che Adams had to be substituted at halftime due to an injury.
Russell Martin expressed his frustration regarding the injury in a post-match discussion. He explained, “He’s picked up an injury, and it’s frustrating, both for him and for us. This is the challenge with players going away on international duty, as their routines differ. We make decisions in consultation with the players and consider their involvement.
I believe it was the right decision to have them start on the bench for 60 or 70 minutes. The 20-minute period may lead to a reevaluation of the changes, but we have a multidisciplinary team of medical and sports science experts who discuss and make decisions. The players understand the reasons behind these choices. Sometimes they agree, and sometimes they don’t. This weekend presents an opportunity to make it a successful week overall.”
As for Che Adams’ fitness for Southampton’s upcoming match against Birmingham City at St Mary’s Stadium on Saturday, scheduled for 12:30 PM, it remains uncertain at this point. Given the limited time between now and the match, if Adams’ injury is even remotely serious, it’s unlikely he will be fit to participate. More information on the situation is expected to come from Russell Martin later in the week.
Leave a Reply