Dusan Tadic will return to training before the weekend wearing a protective mask.

The Serbian midfielder has been missing since suffering a broken nose and facial injuries whilst playing for his country on international duty.

Claude Puel will carefully monitor Tadic’s return, but confirmed he will takes precautions to protect him from further damage.

“Normally for the moment yes in training sessions and after the first game with the mask – but it’s a beautiful mask,” laughed Puel.

“I don’t know when he comes back with the squad to play.

“In the training session he can come back today or tomorrow I think but now he has stayed three weeks without training sessions and without games.

“It’s a long time and it’s important he can do good work to come back fit and we will see this with him and the staff.

“It’s important when he comes back he will come back with a good physical level to play a strong game with us.”

Tadic and Matt Targett are the only players missing for Saints’ trip to Crystal Palace on Saturday, with Puel urging his side to forget the glory of the EFL Cup win at Arsenal and focus again on the top flight.

“Of course when we win games in different competitions it’s a good feeling, but it’s important to stay and to continue this work,” said Puel.

“For example, it was an objective to qualify for the semi-final and for the second part of the season.

“Now it’s another competition, it’s the Premier League, and it’s important to confirm our result against Everton.

“We go away against a team every time difficult to play at this stadium, Crystal Palace, and we know it will be a strong game for us to play.

“It’s important to keep the good concentration, the good attitude, and to come back after this game against Arsenal with good spirit.

“We know what happened for example the game after Inter Milan when we lost at Hull City. “We lost three points because we didn’t have the good concentration and in three minutes we take two goals and it was finished.

“It’s important to keep a good calm, lucidity and mentality and to keep a good game.”