Danny Ings set for spell on sidelines after knee surgery

Saints' star man was forced off having scored in the 4-3 win at Villa Park, overstretching his joint following a clash with winger Trezeguet.

Speaking this morning, Saints boss Ralph Hasenhuttl confirmed Ings will undergo minor surgery on his knee tomorrow before a spell on the sidelines.

Reflecting on injury concerns following the contest against Villa, Hasenhuttl said: "The worst thing is maybe Danny Ings because we said after the game we hope it’s not the worst, I had been in an unhappy situation to be honest because it could be much worse.

"When you see the scene, it is horrible to watch. At the moment it looks like he is out for four to six weeks.

"He will have surgery tomorrow morning, a small one hopefully, but it is one and it means that we don’t have him for the next four to six weeks.

"It can be worse, but he’s out and this is for sure not good news for us."

The club announced on Monday that initial reports said a scan of Ings's knee returned "favourable" results.

Asked what has changed since then, Hasenhuttl said: "The (first) scan was not too bad. It showed a little issue with his meniscus and it could’ve been an older injury or a new one.

"We started running yesterday a little bit, jogging on the pitch and the knee then looked swollen afterwards and he had pain.

"It was definitely a situation where we immediately stopped so it doesn’t get worse, because it doesn’t make sense.

"Then it was clear we had to have another look and then we decided to go for the surgery because I think it’s the safest way to have a four to six week break only."

Ings, 28, has suffered devastating knee injuries in the past, undergoing surgery on various occasions to repair ligament and cartilage damage.

However, Hasenhuttl insists this latest issue is not related.

"No, his historic knee problem is not the issue. It’s a small surgery, but a necessary one," said the Saints boss.

"Hopefully it will not get worse than this."