Hasenhuttl confirms Ings out with a hamstring injury

Southampton head into the busy festive period with an injury doubt over star striker Danny Ings who limped out of the loss to Manchester City with a hamstring problem.

Former Liverpool, Burnley and Bournemouth forward Ings pulled up shortly before half-time and following a medical assessment, he was deemed unfit to carry on.

Saints boss Ralph Hasenhuttl confirmed the problem to be with Ings' hamstring, and given the forward’s history with injuries, the club will take no chances with his fitness.

“It’s a hamstring problem,” Hasenhuttl told the club’s official website following the 1-0 loss to City. “I’m not sure how much, but it’s clear we were taking a risk with another game for 90 minutes when he has played twice in the week after the long injury, so we hope it’s not too bad.”

Southampton have a seven-day break before they face Fulham on Boxing Day, and Hasenhuttl will hope the break allows Ings to rest and recuperate.

It is the latest setback for the 28-year-old who missed over a month earlier in the season after picking up a knee injury against Aston Villa.

Saints pushed Pep Guardiola’s City hard at St Mary’s, and Hasenhuttl was pleased with everything apart from the final ball.

“I think it was a better game from our side than in the summer when we won 1-0 [against Man City],” Hasenhuttl said. “Today we played better.

“We were braver and had a lot of pressure on them, but what was lacking today was the quality in the final third, with the final passes and final chances.

“We had a few good ones, but it was always a few inches away or where their defender was aware of the area, so it was tough to score.

"I think we did the maximum we can do. It was our third game in a week, and we had one day less to recover, and the effort the guys put into the second half was unbelievable really.

“We kept them a very long away from the goal, but you cannot do it all the time so they had a few chances, but this is normal.

“It’s amazing what we play at the moment and how we play. It’s always controlled and in the second half they were really defending their own box for a long time and although we didn’t find a way through, this was the highest level we can play at the moment.”

Southampton sit in fifth in the table and following the clash with Fulham, they close out the year with a home game against West Ham.