Medical insider: Romain Perraud may not recover until 2023 as new Southampton details emerge
Romain Perraud may not reach full match fitness for Southampton until almost the beginning of 2023.
That is the view of medical expert Ben Dinnery, who runs the Premier Injuries site and has a background in injury and data analysis.
Perraud, 24, played almost no part in pre-season ahead of 2022-23 because of a metatarsal injury.
The French left-back came on for the final 18 minutes in the Saints’ 4-1 defeat to Tottenham on the opening day of the season.
But he has not been seen since, and Ralph Hasenhuttl has revealed that the Frenchman has picked up a new groin problem.
As quoted by Hampshire Live last Thursday (18 August), the manager explained: “The groin problems were bigger than we thought.”
The Premier League this season halts in November and resumes on Boxing Day in order to accommodate the World Cup in Qatar.
And Dinnery suggests that the break will be the first opportunity Perraud has to get up to speed with the rest of the Southampton squad after missing pre-season.
“This campaign is slightly different to those we’ve had in the past,” he told Football Insider’s Adam Williams.
“The World Cup will almost level the playing field when it comes to a recalibration of players’ fitness, other than those who have been called up to the national team.
“Ordinarily, something like this would have a knock-on effect for the rest of the season because you aren’t able to replicate the intensity of competitive play on the training pitches or in bounce games and behind-closed-doors friendlies.
“With those four extra games before the World Cup, there is going to be less opportunity for managers to work with players in the squad.
“We will see a lot more non-competitive games happening behind closed doors, but it’s not an ideal situation.
“Ideally, Perraud would have wanted to be in that pre-season programme to get the miles in his legs to enable yourself to get through the season injury free. That hasn’t happened, so they have to make do with what they have.
“But once November comes along, there will be a chance to reset. It will almost be like starting the season again.
“Maybe he needs to see his time through between now and November and then really do the catch-up work over that festive programme in order to kick on for the rest of the season.”
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