Southampton loan man Taylor Harwood-Bellis ‘is out of the England U21 squad’ with a fresh hamstring injury, reports talkSPORT.
Southampton signed Harwood-Bellis on loan from Manchester City in the summer transfer window.
He’s since featured six times in the Championship for Russell Martin’s side, all of which coming in the Saints’ last six outings which the 21-year-old has started and finished.
But talkSPORT are now reporting that Harwood-Bellis is out of the England U21 squad to face Serbia and Ukraine this week after sustaining a fresh hamstring injury.
The same report adds that no replacement will be called up to Lee Carsley’s side.
Southampton currently sit in 10th place of the Championship table after a run of three games without defeat, which followed a run of three-straight defeats for the club.
Harwood-Bellis was just starting to come good for Southampton.
He was showing his class and working his way back to full fitness after a prior injury, but this new injury could prove to be a huge set back for the man on loan from Manchester City.
And it’s a blow for Southampton too. They’re facing criticism from fans for their current league position and losing key players like Harwood-Bellis certainly won’t help Martin as he looks to get the fans fully on board.
What the extent of his injury is remains to be seen. But expect Martin and Southampton to be fearful of it, especially with Harwood-Bellis having been fairly prone to injury over the past few seasons.
The Saints are back in action away at Hull City later in the month. It’s another tough away outing for the Saints but this two week break will have given Martin more valuable time to work with the players, and get his methods across.