Sunderland will share Southampton pain after big Ross Stewart update - they are £10m richer though | OneFootball

Southampton striker Ross Stewart is set for another spell on the sidelines as injury woes persist

Scottish international and Southampton striker Ross Stewart is set for another spell on the sidelines after picking up a hamstring injury in the Saints' away draw with Derby County.

Southampton endured a torrid 2024/25 campaign in the Premier League, winning just two matches all season, and at one point looked likely to break Derby's record for the team with the lowest point total in the top flight.

The Saints conceded the most goals in the league and scored the least, and could well have done with Scottish forward Stewart remaining fit.

Stewart played just 12 times in the top flight last season, scoring once in just 385 minutes of football.

The season prior was even worse in terms of playing time for the 29-year-old, making just three appearances and 24 minutes of football in the Championship for the Saints, having missed much of the previous season due to surgery on his Achilles tendon, and then a major muscle injury.

Now, after it appeared he had shaken off those injury woes, having come back into the side in recent weeks, Stewart is set for another spell on the sidelines following a hamstring problem, in a rotten turn of events.

Sunderland will share Southampton's injury woes over Ross Stewart

After being forced off after 30 minutes against Derby, Stewart went for a scan on the potential injury, with no confirmation having been made on the severity of it.

After the Derby match, Still said, "I'm not quite sure what it is or how bad it is. We'll have to wait and see, but I think that cost us quite a lot. I think Roscoe was in a really good form.

"He was in good nick. He felt really good. Probably the best he's felt in a long time. We kind of struggled to re-adapt and re-shape after he'd gone off."

It truly is awful luck for Stewart, who has spent much of the last three years out injured, which Sunderland fans will know all too well.

Having hit five goals and three assists in Sunderland's first seven games into the 2022/23 season, Stewart picked up a hamstring injury which ruled him out for 15 games.

Upon his return, his continued his scoring spree, scoring another five in six matches, but in an FA Cup clash away to Fulham, the Scot suffered an injury to his achilles tendon, which meant he needed to undergo surgery and missed the rest of the campaign.

It would be the last that Black Cats supporters would see Stewart in a Sunderland shirt, as he headed to Southampton at the end of the campaign in a deal worth potentially £12 million, which, in hindsight, was an excellent decision from the Wearside club.

Will Still's Southampton Championship ambitions will be dealt a huge blow because of Ross Stewart's injury

Southampton haven't exactly been firing on all cylinders in the early stages of their first season back in the second tier, currently sitting in 17th place with two wins, five draws, and two losses from their opening nine league games.

This has seen former Reims and Lens manager Will Still come under pressure early on in his tenure, with expectations from supporters that they would be amongst the leading pack this campaign.

Stewart made his first start of the season at home to Middlesbrough, and would continue to retain his place up top for the next two matches against Sheffield United and Derby, with the Scot scoring an excellent brace away at Bramall Lane to give the Saints a crucial three points.

It appeared as though Still had found the man he could rely on to score his side the goals, but his early withdrawal at Derby proved otherwise.

Heading into an international break, there has been no time frame yet set on Stewart's injury, and Still will be desperate that it is not as serious as feared, with neither Cameron Archer or summer arrival Damion Downs having made an impact at St Mary's as yet.

Archer has just one goal in his last 34 games, and has been an unused substitute in two of the last three games, whilst Downs has started just one league game so far since his switch from FC Koln.

Stewart could do with a bit of luck at this stage, and Still will be praying that his injury isn't as bad as first feared.