Dusan Tadic will miss tomorrow’s game against Sunderland in a bid to ensure his groin problem gets no worse.

The Serbian midfielder has been nursing the niggling injury for some time, but Saints have had to take the decision to give him a break to try and allow it to heal.

The club fear that without it Tadic’s injury could worsen to such an extent that it hampers him next season, whereas managed now, and with a summer of rest coming up, he has the chance to fully recover.

“Dusan Tadic is not available for the weekend,” reported Saints boss Ronald Koeman.

“He is struggling with some groin problems for a long time and we decide now to put him out of the team because he has to recover and be 100 per cent and if not he will struggle next season and we don’t want that.”

Saints travel to face Sunderland at the weekend reviving memories of their 8-0 drubbing of the Black Cats at St Mary’s earlier in the season.

“It was the best result. It wasn’t the best game in my opinion,” admitted Koeman.

“We had an unbelievable help of the players of Sunderland because I think they scored three own goals.

“It was a strange afternoon and ended 8-0 what isn’t a normal result but it was so strange.

“I don’t believe that was our best game of the season. We didn’t play really well.

“After 2-0 or 3-0 they went mentally down and we had total confidence and we scored great goals but the game of this Saturday will be totally different.

“It will be different for Sunderland because they are fighting and I am watching the programme and they play Arsenal and Chelsea and they have two home games and they need two wins and that’s a lot of pressure of the club and the players and we have to be aware of that.”