Exclusive: Sky pundit reacts to 'heartbreaking' Ross Stewart injury update - Southampton star sent comeback wish | OneFootball

Don Goodman speaks to Football League World about the latest in a long line of Ross Stewart injuries.

EFL and Sky Sports pundit Don Goodman hopes that Ross Stewart can come back stronger from his latest injury, after the Southampton star was brought off after just 30 minutes against Derby County.

The Daily Echo has reported that the striker is set to face yet another spell on the sidelines following the results of an initial scan on yet another hamstring injury he picked up against the Rams.

The Scotsman has managed just 27 appearances in a little over two years at Southampton due to several injuries, which even stretched back into his final year at Sunderland, where he played just 13 times in the 2022/23 Championship campaign, scoring 10 goals.

That's where the majority of the frustration stems from regarding the persistent injury issues — Stewart, when fit, could possibly cut it in the Premier League. He averaged a goal every other game in his 80 Sunderland outings, and earned a move to St Mary's in a deal worth at least £8 million.

He started to show his class in a Saints shirt in recent starts against Middlesbrough, Sheffield United and Derby before his injury, too, netting both in their 2-1 win at Bramall Lane.

Don Goodman reacts to Ross Stewart's latest Southampton injury blow

In an exclusive interview with Football League World, former West Brom and Wolves striker Don Goodman wished Stewart his best, and hopes he'll hit the ground running when he comes back.

"When Ross Stewart left Sunderland off the back of an average of a goal every other game, I thought that Southampton had signed a real top striker," Goodman said.

"One that even had a chance, based on what he'd shown me, to do well in the Premier League."

Injury troubles stopped Stewart from making an impact in the top flight last season at St Mary's. The Saints had a rotten campaign, but the 29-year-old arguably had it worse, playing just 385 minutes of league action and scoring on the final day against Arsenal.

"It hasn't worked out for him, just three goals in 27 games, and the principal reason for that is injuries, there's no doubt about it," Goodman continued.

"It's heartbreaking that this player, after searching for years for consistency, found it at Sunderland and then started getting injury issues, so my heart goes out to him.

"It's devastating news, and I hope it's something he can come back stronger from, and he can stay mentally resilient.

It's a big frustration for Stewart, but also for Southampton, who, after seeing him play the final eight games of last season and the first eight of this, would have hoped that this was the end of this unwanted injury saga.

"Southampton had witnessed how effective he could be in the couple of games that he played before this injury, and it'll be a blow for them as well," Goodman concluded.

Southampton will hope that they can move on without Ross Stewart in the side

Whenever anyone gets injured, it provides headaches.

But for Will Still, who has had to shuffle his pack around quite a bit since inheriting a Southampton side shot on confidence after almost registering the lowest points tally in Premier League history, his team was starting to become a little more regular.

Good results against Middlesbrough and Sheffield United, with Stewart in the team and firing alongside Adam Armstrong, will have filled Saints fans with hope that their season could start to pick up some more steam after a false start.

However, now it's back to the drawing board somewhat, with news that their proven Championship hitman will be spending another sizeable period on the sidelines.

Luckily enough, there's been a couple of weeks for Still to figure out who fills the hole left by Stewart's departure, and the focus is now on ensuring that more points are picked up between now and the Scotsman's return.

Being in and around the play-offs when the 29-year-old comes back will be a big plus, as Stewart could be the difference between winning and losing important games towards the tail end of the campaign.

He does still have an embarrassment of centre-forward riches to choose from too in Stewart's absence, with the aforementioned Armstrong and Archer both proven goalscorers at Championship level too.

Meanwhile, there is surely a lot more to come from new signings Kuryu Matsuki and Damion Downs respectively, and if either of those two could start finding goalscoring form, that would only further help soften the Stewart blow.