MOI Elyounoussi has admitted that he requires surgery for an injury sustained on international duty but that he is “trying to find a time that works best for everyone.”
The injury, which was first thought to be a sprained thumb, has instead been revealed to be broken ligaments in his hand and will require operating on for a permanent fix.
He is able to play on and has played for Saints with a heavily strapped hand, putting in an impressive performance against Leeds United, after the injury was sustained celebrating a goal for Norway against Montenegro – where he hit a brace.
Norway, who haven’t qualified for a World Cup since 1998, have only two games remaining in their group and currently have a two-point lead on third-place Turkey, and are two points behind leaders Netherlands.
Their final two games take place on 13 and 16 November.
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His international involvement means there is no real break which would be ideal for him to go under the knife, with Saints action amid a busy club schedule taking priority.
“For now, I can play but over time it won’t be good," Elyounoussi said in translated quotes from Norwegian channel TV2. "Right now, I’m taping around it while I’m training and playing, but after getting a specialist to look at it, we really need to get something done about it as quickly as possible.
“We sat and talked about it today, actually. We’re trying to find a date that keeps me from missing games here, and for my part, that I don’t miss the internationals - and for the (Norway) fans, of course, who have not had a World Cup for a long time.
“We’re trying to find a time that works best for everyone, but it’s clear the club has to come first. I’m going to miss games, unfortunately, and then we’ll try to figure out which matches.”
The revelation means that Elyounoussi could potentially miss a small number of games for Saints or Norway over the coming weeks.
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