'Rodriguez will return to his best' says Koeman

Ronald Koeman believes that Jay Rodriguez will return to his best form when he comes back from his latest injury setback.

The forward had surgery on a foot injury this week and will be out for seven to eight weeks.

This is another set back for the England international who made his long awaited return from a serious knee injury sustained in April 2014 in the match against Vitesse at the start of the season. The forward has made 12 appearances this season, scoring three goals but hasn't featured since the 2-2 draw against Leicester City in mid-October.

"He was disappointed about the final decision," Koeman told the press on Thursday.

"It was the only solution to bring Jay fit again. He will be out for seven, eight weeks. Then we hope that he will come back to help the team because we need that kind of player.

"It is also a mental question about how you deal with that kind of disappointment. He’s strong, he’s still young and he will come back and again be the player what he was.

"I hope that he can be a big part in the last part of the season. That will be nice for him and for Southampton."