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Southampton's drive for a top-four finish has been hit by the news that midfield pair Morgan Schneiderlin and Victor Wanyama face several weeks out of action.
The Saints, currently third in the Premier League, already had problems in defence, with Toby Alderweireld ruled out for around a month with a hamstring strain and Januarya Yoshida away on Asian Cup duty with Japan.
However, it was in midfield that head coach Ronald Koeman took a double hit before and during a 1-0 FA Cup third round replay win at Ipswich Town.
Firstly, France international Schneiderlin was ruled out of the game by a muscle problem in his right leg and he could now be sidelined for up to four weeks.
And that blow was compounded by Wanyama tweaking a hamstring just before half-time at Portman Road, with Koeman fearing the Kenyan could be ruled out for as much as five weeks, with the setback made worse by the fact that the midfielder was due to be replaced at the interval.
Koeman admitted: "It is really negative because already we have some other injuries.
"I already spoke before the game with Victor and Steven Davis as I had made the decision to give both players 45 minutes. Then 12 seconds before half-time, he got his hamstring injury.
"Schneiderlin has a little bit the same as he had when he came back from the French national team.
"It is an adductor problem in his right leg and he will be out for three or four weeks, like Toby Alderweireld, but, okay, we have a lot of young players."
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