Saints could go top of the Premier League against Newcastle United but they will do so battling adversity as the injury list lengthens, here we look at who are the walking wounded and how we are going to have to cope.

Danny Ings is obviously the headline news on the injury list and hopefully the minor op yesterday actually was minor and the recovery period of 4-6 weeks is accurate,

Ralph had this to say:

"The scan and the message (on Danny Ings on Monday morning) was exactly what we thought. We had a look at the scan and it wasn’t too bad. It showed issues but it could have been a lot worse situation or injury.

"We started running yesterday, a little bit of jogging on the pitch and his knee was swollen and in a little bit of pain. It was definitely a situation where he immediately stopped so it didn’t get worse and it was clear we needed another look.

"We've decided to go with the surgery because it was the safest way to have a 4-6 week break only. The knee problem is not a previous issue, it’s a small surgery and hopefully he won’t be out for too long."

The good news here is that we have plenty of options to replace him, including the obvious in Shane Long, Theo Walcott who can play down the middle up front and a few youngsters like Michael Obafemi or Dan N' Lundulu.

In the midfield Ibranhima Diallo has a knock and could be doubtful with a dead leg and if is fit he could well have make his full debut, Will Smallbone is also still out and given perhaps James Ward Prowse might need to be pressed into service at full back we are short on replacing him in midfield.

Perhaps the biggest loss would be Jan Bednarek who is apparently still struggling after his head injury at Villa Park, here Ralph really has a problem, slotting Jack Stephens into the defence at half time was not exactly a success on Sunday, although Stephens didn't make individual errors the balance of the defence was disturbed and we didn't look the unit we did in the previous games.

Mohamed Salisu does not seem to be an option with Ralph saying he is still not ready and it would be folly to give him a debut without first giving him a run out with the B team.

Another big issue is Ryan Bertrand, he tweaked a hamstring and came off at Villa before real damage was done, but with only 5 days rest between the Villa game and Newcastle it might be risky to put him in the side.

The problem is Jake Vokins is also injured, so the obvious replacement is not an option.

Another option is to move Kyle Walker Peters to left back and slot in someone else on the left, Yan Valery would be the obvious choice to slot in for Walker Peters here, or possibly James Ward Prowse.

But switching Walker Peters to the left back would mean that the balance of the defence would be drastically changed if Jan Bednarek doesn't pass muster and he would be loathe to change three of the four positions, two will be bad enough.

Saints fans must wonder why adversity always seems to hit our club just as it is going so well, here we are playing to go top of the league, but we are faced with the heart being ripped out of the team, Jan Bednarek, Danny Ings and Ryan Bertrand have been the heart of the recent unbeaten run, it is not a squad problem in that we have people to replace them, but then the crisis worsens, not only are there injuries to the direct replacements, but also to those who would replace the likes of James Ward Prowse if he should move into defence, you could not make this up as no one would believe you.

But some of Saints greatest results have come with our backs to the wall and hopefully we have players who can step up to the plate, we have tried and tested replacements, the real issue is the upheaval in swapping a few players around.

Ralph Hasenhuttl is a shrewd operator though and likes to keep the opposition guessing, so hopefully one or two of these injuries might not be as bad as feared and we might see a player or two

Photo: Action Images

IanRC added 09:31 - Nov 5 As I said previously just shows what a poor job the so called impartial referee did on Sunday. Every time Grealish tripped on a blade of grass Villa got a free kick but the referee failed to address some of the dreadful Villa challenges. Looks like we have very significant challenges for Friday, not least at left back. Can you imagine the fuss if this were Spurs or Liverpool.

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A1079 added 10:00 - Nov 5 This Salisu thing is becoming a "joke"? Still not ready - why, in what way is he still not ready? It really is beginning to smell a bit now. You could not write it, the one area were desperate to purchase for we finally do and his signing is shrouded in mystery, you don't see or hear from the player, the reason for his absence is left "unclear" and open to conjecture. Something does not fit right with this signing!

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Peterx added 10:06 - Nov 5 To me trying Redmond at LB might minimise the disruption and also may be not so bad against Newcastle who are not the most attacking side. That way we can keep JWP in midfield, keep Theo in attacking midfield and bring in Shane's nuisance value up front. Getting Bednarek back in would be great if not then hopefully JV and Jack Stephens are working hard to get their mojo together this week.

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SaintNick added 10:21 - Nov 5 A1079, Hasenhuttl has been up front about Salisu, he was injured just before the end of the season in Spain and then had to quarantine here and effectively start his pre season at the start of September, he is not ready as he has not played a game yet, don't ask my why not but there is a reason
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ssxsaint added 11:41 - Nov 5 Salisu = Forrest?
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legineloc added 11:47 - Nov 5 If JWP does go to full back & Bednarek being fit then maybe move Stephens into the holding mid field position & see if that's his best position, like everyone says he gives 100%, but little laspes in concentration can be at the cost of a goal
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underweststand added 12:26 - Nov 5 A well-balanced article Nick, and I'm glad that you didn't come out as "the Prophet of Doom" because of the current injury situation. If "the Squad " is worth its salt, they can all pull together for this one game before the international break and get a result. Danny has become the "new talisman " but a lot of people seem to throw their hands up in horror whenever he fails to score ..or at now ..is injured. Interestingly, he hasn't been the kingpin just recently as we have scored 11 times in the last 4 games and Danny has scored ..twice. Of course he will be missed, but if Ralph's squad is good enough we should be able to come up with a "Plan B " for Friday.

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Saintaxidriver added 14:02 - Nov 5 Not a big fan of Stephens but you dismiss him too easily. Has performed well and suspect he will play instead of Bednarek. Doubt he will swap KWP so suspect he might put JWP in there again knowing he will do a solid job and put Diallo on for his debut. Up front either Long, Walcott or even Redmond might be a good plan.
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davidargyll added 17:22 - Nov 5 You could argue that, if selected, Jack Stephens KNOWS he has perform as it will be one of the few chances he will have of forcing his way back into the team. You would think that Ralph had him on the bench and brought him on last weekend because he reckoned he was up to the job, albeit a bit short of game time. So it would be somewhat illogical if he doesn’t start tomorrow and I for one think he will be at least ok if not pretty good. I just hope he doesn’t overdo it and get himself sent off, which of course he did not so long ago.

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