Sunderland & Southampton fans won't be surprised at what's just happened at Swansea City | OneFootball

Ross Stewart's injury woes, which plagued his time at Sunderland and Southampton, have reared their ugly head at Swansea

Swansea City have had a brilliant start to the Championship campaign, going unbeaten through the opening four games and keeping three clean sheets along the way, too.

Vitor Matos went under the radar a little when it came to how well he was able to transform the Swans after he arrived at the club last November. His side averaged just shy of 1.6 points per game in the 30 games he took charge of, picking up the ninth-most points in the division.

And in his first full campaign at the helm, while it may be early days, the Portuguese head coach could oversee an end to the mediocrity that has slowly bled into the club in recent years.

Recruitment throughout the summer has been promising, led by Tony Bloom-owned Jamestown Analytics, but one signing has already shown frustrating injury-based signs which have followed him throughout his career.

Ross Stewart is already facing time on the sidelines at Swansea City

Action images

One of the more eye-catching arrivals at Swansea this summer was the addition of Ross Stewart on a three-year deal following the conclusion of his contract at Southampton.

It's well-known that, when fit, the 30-year-old is guaranteed goals at Championship level, and he showed that in his only real lengthy run out in the Saints side towards the tail end of last season.

Stewart rotated well with Cyle Larin at the top end of the pitch under Tonda Eckert in 2026 and ended the campaign with 11 goals in 33 appearances, of which only 15 were starts. His performances earned him a place in the Scotland squad for the World Cup in the summer.

However, after just one nine-minute appearance off the bench against Sheffield United, the 30-year-old has missed the subsequent two outings, with it being revealed that he's set to miss four more due to a quad injury.

Ross Stewart's injury issues stem all the way back from his time at Sunderland and Southampton

Action images

There'll be no one more frustrated at Stewart's quad injury than the striker himself, but fans will be, too, as many felt that his uninterrupted second half to the 2025/26 campaign spelt the end of his lengthy treatment room visits.

Indeed, since the end of the 2021/22 campaign, in which the Scotman played all 49 league and play-off outings for Sunderland in League One, netting 26 along the way, Stewart played 53 league games in the following four years.

He scored 10 times in just 13 Championship games for the Black Cats in the 2022/23 term, when his campaign wasn't interrupted by a thigh injury and then a season-ending Achilles injury.

That injury-plagued campaign didn't stop Southampton from spending up to £12 million on Stewart the following summer, but after just two appearances, a hamstring injury saw him out until the final day of the 2023/24 campaign.

Another muscle problem ruled him out for six months of Saints' Premier League return, and last season, he found himself in the treatment room again for three months before he managed a decent run of games in 2026.

Swansea City will hope that Ross Stewart's quad injury is his only layoff this season

Action images

You can't help but feel absolutely gutted for Stewart, as he faces even more time on the sidelines at his new club.

The 30-year-old's got a Championship goalscoring record of close to a goal every other game, which is just a testament to how his levels in front of goal haven't dipped following each lengthy injury.

Therefore, it's understandable why Swansea brought Stewart in. If they can keep the Scotsman healthy to a point where he's just a bench option, he's proved that he can impact games in short periods.

Above all, though, the fact the Swans handed him a three-year deal this summer will put even more hope that his injury issues stop at just this quad layoff. The South Wales side won't want to be burdened by a long contract for someone who will spend more time out of the squad than in it.

Swansea City still look strong without Ross Stewart — keeping him fit could push them into the play-offs

Action images

As mentioned earlier, the partnership with Jamestown Analytics looks to be paying off very well for Swansea in the early stages of the transfer window.

Joseph Opoku looks a brilliant signing thus far, Stephen Welsh has looked strong at the back, and the signings of New Zealand's standout at the World Cup, Elijah Just, and former Porto midfielder and Canada's captain, Stephen Eustaquio, wouldn't have been signings Swansea fans felt they could make at all this summer.

Goals are coming from everywhere in Vitor Matos' side in the infancy of the season, so to add Stewart to that threat would add yet another string to the head coach's attacking bow late on in games.

They just have to keep the 30-year-old healthy, and while they look fine so far without him, getting 20 to 30 games out of him in any capacity could be the difference between them mounting an outside or a legitimate run at promotion this season.