Luis Sinisterra will be out for about five weeks after suffering a hamstring injury on international duty, says boss Andoni Iraola.
The Colombia forward dropped out of the squad earlier this week prior to their friendly against Spain on Friday. He will likely miss much of the rest of the season.
“It is never a good moment to have this kind of injury,” Iraola told BBC Radio Solent. “He has been very healthy all season so this is unlucky.
“It is probably down to workload. The demands of the competitions are really high. We are playing more minutes and the ball is in play more. They want to do everything faster because it is good for supporters but the players do not have rest.
“It is difficult for them and it is something we are seeing across all clubs.”
While Sinisterra is set for a spell out, Iraola had a positive update on Dominic Solanke who has struggled with a knee problem this month.
“We have given him rest and then next week he will train normally,” said Iraola. “We hope he will be able to forget about this issue and play freely until the end of the season.”
The 26-year-old did not make Gareth Southgate’s England squad despite scoring 15 Premier League goals so far this season.
“I am sure he is disappointed but he will not give up,” added Iraola. “He will try to finish strong, to score more goals and to try to be part of the England squad for the Euros.
“I am sure he will fight for it because he has done since the beginning.”
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