Southampton Trio Ruled Out of Germany Camp

Southampton will head into the sharp end of their pre-season without three of their attacking sparks, after Caspar Jander, Finn Azaz and Sam Edozie were all left out of the club’s eight-day trip to Germany through injury.

Tonda Eckert has named a 29-man group for the tour, which includes friendlies against Eintracht Braunschweig and Preuben Munster either side of a week’s intensive work in North Rhine-Westphalia. The three absentees, all nursing minor knocks, will stay behind at Staplewood for treatment.

Jander’s setback came in the club’s first pre-season outing against Eastleigh last Saturday, the midfielder forced off and now given time to recover rather than risk a relapse on the road. Azaz and Edozie also miss out, a precautionary call at a stage of the summer when minutes are valuable but fitness is everything.

The decision leaves Eckert without three creative options as he sharpens combinations and conditioning in Germany, but it also opens a window for others in the travelling party to push their case before the competitive action begins.

Southampton’s schedule tightens quickly once they return. The EFL Cup campaign starts against Colchester United, then comes the Championship opener away at Watford.

By then, the club will hope those “minor knocks” are exactly that – and that Jander, Azaz and Edozie are ready to rejoin a squad aiming to hit the ground running.