Simon Rusk nods into biggest fears for breached Southampton's scoring streak | OneFootball

Simon Rusk reveals Paul Onuachu suffered another ankle injury on his return game against Aston Villa due to which Rusk needed to call off the 30-year-old at half-time.

Phew, it has been another fixture, another humiliating defeat for Southampton. And yet again, the Saints supporters ended the matchday with that all-too-familiar so close, yet so far feeling.

After all, after restricting the opposition from scoring for 70 minutes, conceding three in the final quarter is outright disappointing.

While having learnt from the recent Saints defeats, Rusk strategised well for a goalless game, yet bottled it in the most Southampton-esque fashion. And now, that's been another defeat, questions must be asked of the interim manager.

After all, with this Saints side more inclined to an aggressive playstyle lately, was it wise for Rusk to overly depend on their defense?

Well, but Rusk alone can't be blamed for this. Agreed that he headed into the matchday with a playing-safe approach, but what followed only made things worse.

This is because, sadly, on his injury return start, Saints top goalscorer Paul Onuachu suffered another ankle blow. Ultimately, with Rusk forced to sub him at halftime, Southampton’s attacking hopes faded, ending their four-game scoring streak.

Paul Onuachu's latest injury updates remain unclear

But, as if half a game without Tall Paul wasn’t cruel enough for Saints fans, the forward's injury condition remains unclear and unconvincing.

Recently, as quoted by the Daily Echo, Rusk himself admitted being unfamiliar with the striker's update. Rusk confessed: "Paul picked up a knock, and he was struggling with his ankle. That was the overview for me. I'm not too sure how Paul is at the moment."

And that’s exactly what makes this situation all the more maddening for Saints fans and the club itself. Because whether Southampton rate Onuachu highly or not, one thing is clear, most of their chances flow through him.