Puel: Rodriguez and Long must step up for Saints

Charlie Austin was a casualty of Southampton’s midweek loss to Hapoel Be’er Sheva and with Middlesbrough looming, Claude Puel has urged his other strikers to pick up the slack.

Saints’ 27-year-old top-scorer has nine goals in all competitions this year, but as Puel’s side crashed out of the Europa League at the hands of the Israeli outfit, Austin suffered a shoulder injury.

And with Southampton in mid-table, Puel knows the likes of Jay Rodriguez and Shane Long must step up.

(Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images)

“It’s not just one player,” Puel said. “If Jay can have game time it’s not the pressure for him, just because he can play.

“It’s important to say all the players can score in the team and have to take their responsibility.

“We will see if Jay, Shane, other offensive players can help the team.

“I am confident for all my players. I like this squad because they work very hard every time.
“We know we have to improve on being clinical, but this comes with work.

“With all these chances since the beginning of the season in the majority of our games, it will be interesting to be more clinical. It’s important to make progress and to improve.”