Southampton boss Ronald Koeman has confirmed that James Ward-Prowse will be sidelined for some time.
The talented 19-year old midfielder was stretchered off with a foot injury in the second half of the Saints' 1-0 win at Swansea City on Saturday and is now set to miss up to 10 weeks after scans showed a fracture.
After Southampton beat Arsenal 2-1 in the Capital One Cup third round on Tuesday night, Koeman addressed the Ward-Prowse problem and admitted it was a blow for the club.
"We're very disappointed about that, but that's football and that can happen," Koeman said. "It's unlucky but okay.
"The boy has to keep going and it's difficult because he had a great start to the season, but it's part of the football and he will come back."
