Southampton's Pre-Season Preparations Hampered by Injuries

Southampton will head into a key block of pre-season work in Germany without three of their attacking options, as Caspar Jander, Finn Azaz and Sam Edozie have all been ruled out of the trip with minor injuries.

Tonda Eckert has named a 29-man group for the eight-day camp in North Rhine-Westphalia, where Saints will face Eintracht Braunschweig and Preuben Munster on either side of an intensive week of training. The focus will be on sharpening fitness and structure, but it will happen without three players who had been pushing to impress.

Injuries

Jander’s setback came early. The midfielder was forced off during Southampton’s opening pre-season outing against Eastleigh last Saturday, cutting short his first real chance to stake a claim ahead of the new campaign. The club has described the issue as a minor knock, yet it is serious enough to keep him at Staplewood for treatment rather than risk aggravation on the road.

Azaz and Edozie join him in staying behind. Both are also dealing with minor problems, the kind that can quickly snowball if mishandled in July. With a long Championship season looming, Southampton have chosen caution, allowing the trio to work individually with medical staff while the rest of the squad builds rhythm in Germany.

Upcoming Challenges

The camp itself arrives at a decisive moment. After the sessions and friendlies on German soil, Saints will move straight into competitive action, launching their EFL Cup campaign against Colchester United. Not long after that, the real grind begins: an opening Championship trip to Watford that will set the tone for the months ahead.

For Jander, Azaz and Edozie, the task is clear. Heal quickly, catch up fast, and make sure this early bump does not become a lost start to a season in which every place, and every point, will be fiercely contested.