Southampton have been handed a double injury blow ahead of tonight’s Premier League game against Aston Villa.

What’s the latest?

That’s according to the official Southampton website, where manager Ralph Hasenhuttl issued the following update on Tino Livramento and Romeo Lavia.

He revealed that they were the only two major absentees for tonight’s fixture, claiming that “it looks good” and that they are "on a good time schedule" for his return, about the former’s rehabilitation from an ACL injury.

With regards to Lavia, he claimed:

“It’s tough for him, you can see it’s not easy, because it feels like a full break after a very, very good start".

He continued:

“This setback is always a chance – especially for players who are coming in here – to scan your body, scan your deficits you have, and work on this in this time you are out now. This is always the chance.”

It's a big blow for Hasenhuttl

Although the injury to Livramento will not be a great surprise to the Austrian, the fact that he will be without his teenage sensation is still a gutting blow.

Lavia had impressed, earning an average SofaScore rating of 7.02 in his five Premier League games so far.

At 18 years of age, the Belgian youngster has shown maturity beyond his years and even managed to score his first goal in senior football with a fine driven strike in his side’s 2-1 win over Chelsea.

He had quickly become an important cog in the Saints machine and was averaging 2.0 interceptions and 1.4 tackles per game.

Livramento similarly had impressed in his first real run in senior football before he was struck down last April but did have 32 appearances during the 2021/22 season.

There is excitement at the prospect of his return, with a positive update issued by the manager. However, the more pressing issue is how Southampton will cope without Lavia, especially given Romeu’s exit in the summer.

This comes at a bad time, given the opponent they face are somewhat fragile at the moment having not won since mid-August. It represents a good opportunity for a fine result, but this injury update will hamper their chances significantly and therefore, the manager will be gutted, if not worried heading into tonight's kick-off.