As Southampton fight to leapfrog Ipswich Town and Leeds United in the race to secure the final automatic Championship promotion spot, their injury list is beginning to pile up at the worst possible time.
Southampton injury news
Russell Martin will already be forced to contend without Newcastle United loanee Ryan Fraser until after the international break and long-term absentees Ross Stewart and Juan Larios for an extended period of time, meaning that any more injuries only add to Saints' frustrations.
Since their historic unbeaten run came to an end against Bristol City, Southampton have lost back-to-back games against Hull City and Millwall in the Championship, before exiting the FA Cup at the hands of a young Liverpool side.
With Tony Mowbray's Birmingham City side up next, Martin's men must return to winning ways if they are to close the five-point gap separating themselves, Ipswich and Leeds. As things stand, even after a club-record unbeaten run, Southampton will be forced to settle for a place in the play-offs. And that's why Kyle Walker-Peters' injury has come at the worst time.
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Martin confirmed that Walker-Peters will miss the game against Birmingham and could be out until after the international break, as Birmingham Live reported what they call a 'significant' injury blow: "He won't be very long out, tomorrow will be a stretch I think but it was really good news with Kyle. Hopefully [he'll be] involved in one of the two games after that or both, but if not he'll definitely be back after the [international] break so it was fairly positive news."
Whilst Martin chose to see the positives, there's no denying that injuries to both Fraser and Walker-Peters have come at a frustrating time, as Southampton look to turn their form around.
Games that "Integral" Walker-Peters could miss
If Walker-Peters makes his return after the international break, then he will miss Southampton's next three games, including of course today's clash against Birmingham. Following that fixture, the right-back may be absent for the Saints' games against play-off hopefuls Preston North End and Sunderland in two difficult opponents to navigate a way past.
A player with plenty of experience in the top-flight, Walker-Peters will undoubtedly be missed whilst he's on the sidelines, with BBC Radio Solent's Adam Blackmore previously full of praise for the 26-year-old, saying via BBC Sport: "I wonder how important he's become. You look at what happened in the summer [rumoured transfer interest] and you just wonder by the end of the season how important keeping him will have been. He's such an integral part of what they're doing. It's almost like the team is built around him to get the most out of him."
Before his injury, the right-back hadn't missed a single Championship game this season, starting in all 34 to highlight just how important he has become under Martin. Now, those at St Mary's must find a route to victory without their consistent full-back for the first time in the current campaign.