Saints have been boosted by the news that both Che Adams & Stuart Armstrong have returned to training and could be in contention for a place in the side for the trip to West Ham United on Boxing Day.

Southampton supporters got an early Christmas Present after Ralph Hasenhuttl revealed that both Che Adams and Stuart Armstrong were back in training although stopped short in revealing his hand to David Moyes ahead of the game by saying they would be in the squad.

"The injury situation is also getting better. Stu [Armstrong] is back in sessions and Che Adams is back in the session, and that’s so far the situation how it is., but it can change every day, as I said."

This is good news for Saints fans, with a lack of firepower in the first part of this season, Che Adams stepped up to the plate and with 3 Premier League goals plus an assist and a deflected shot against Manchester United that was given as an own goal Adams had been the main man up till his injury at the start of December.

Stuart Armstrong has barely played this season, only four times in the Premier League, but when he has we have won, with three of those appearances coming in the wins over Leeds, Watford & Aston Villa, our only victories in the Premier League so far.

In fact you have to go back to 2019 to find a Premier League victory for Saints in which the Scot was not involved.

In fact Armstrong's rise to being such a valued member of the squad is a reminder that success is not always instant, when he joined the club in 2018 for the season and a half he was far from a regular in the starting line up and it was only in the second half of the 2019/20 season he truly cemented his place as a first choice player, last season being the first time he had started over half the 38 Premier League game.

The news that both are back in contention has to be good news as we head into a busy programme and one that it is vital that we win at least one of the three games over the Xmas period.

Photo: Action Images

DellBoyWally added 09:59 - Dec 25 Stu adds real class, something lacking amongst the rest. But he has missed a large number of games in his time here but hopefully this break has cured whatever ailed him and he has a renewed calf and can mooooo 've better now!!
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underweststand added 10:55 - Dec 25 Ché Adams is our most consistent striker, and even if he doesn't score regularly brings an extra dimension to the attack. Stuart A. is our most creative midfielder by a country mile, even allowing for JWP's contributions - which are often from a more defensive position. Hopefully if we see both of them getting game time, they may turn the tide in this fixture where a win often seems to avoid us in unfortunate circumstances. I don't think Wham are a " much-better side" than Saints - despite their position in the table. Whoever Ralph puts out, the fact remains that our shots-to-goals ratio is appalling (100 shots in the last 8 Prem. games) and our miserable 3 wins have all been by the narrowest 1-0 result, whereas our much-maligned defence is still one of the best in the bottom half. In short, even when we do concede goals, much could to be improved - merely by scoring one goal more in each game.

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KriSaint added 12:54 - Dec 25 Just the news I was praying for. Great to see Stu on the first training ground pic on the official website. Can't wait till' Boxing Day. The best Christmas day during the whole period for me - since I was 12. COYS! <3 - and Merry Xmas every fellow Saints fan! From Scandinavia (Copenhagen, Denmark). KriSaint
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