In the 40th minute of Southampton's FA Cup replay against Tottenham, there was a scary moment.James Ward-Prowse - following a collision with Ryan Sessegnon - began hopping around the turf before falling to the ground clutching his leg, in what appeared to be a worrying scene.

The Southampton No.16 was carried off the field on a stretcher, and despite Ralph Hasenhuttl coming out after full-time and stating that it was only a 'deep cut' and he could be back for the next Premier League outing, it provided a harrowing glimpse into what life could've been like had Southampton not made one January transfer decision.

Oriol Romeu - one of just a handful of Southampton midfielders - was the subject of interest from Celta Vigo in January, although the Saints held firm and fended off interest from the Spanish side as they did not want to weaken their ranks.

Now, while Ward-Prowse's injury doesn't seem to be as bad as first thought, Hasenhuttl could've been left in a serious predicament had it been a severe one.

Hypothetically, if the Englishman had been ruled out for a significant period, the former RB Leipzig boss would've been left with only Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Romeu as his senior centre-midfield options, while 19-year-old Will Smallbone could also be considered an option - if not an inexperienced one.

Considering that Hasenhuttl often lines up with his preferred 4-2-2-2 (4-4-2 double six) formation, that would've meant that Romeu and Hojbjerg would have to start on a weekly basis, barring a unique solution from the Austrian.

Going into the second half of the campaign, in that respect, with only two senior central midfielders and no dependable backup would've been a nightmarish situation, and only goes to prove that Southampton got it exactly right in January when fending off interest from Celta Vigo in Romeu.

Let's just hope, for Southampton's sake, that Ward-Prowse, Hojbjerg, Romeu and Smallbone all stay fit and healthy.

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