Pundit Carlton Palmer does not believe the injury to Southampton goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu gives an advantage to Ipswich Town, Leicester City or Leeds United in the automatic promotion race.

Bazunu sustained an injury in the warm-up before the Saints’ game against Preston North End on Tuesday night, and manager Russell Martin admitted that he does not expect the 22-year-old to feature again this season.

“It’s a bad one,” Martin told the club’s official website. “Really gutted for Gav, it looks a really bad one, so I don’t expect to see him again this season, but obviously we’ll know a bit more in the next couple of days and the players and the staff will support him as best as we possibly can, because we have brilliant people here at this club.

“So Gavin knows he’s cared for and loved for, and we’ll get around him and hope for some good news, but probably expect it to not be very good at all.

“I saw him just after the injury and he’s devastated, as are we. He’s been amazing for us, he’s been such a good player.”

Bazunu had started every league game for Southampton this season, and he has impressed between the sticks, keeping 11 clean sheets in 41 appearances, so his absence is a big blow for Martin’s men.

Despite Joe Lumley being named on the bench, Alex McCarthy came in for Bazunu against Preston, and the late change did not affect the Saints’ performance as they secured an emphatic 3-0 victory to keep their automatic promotion hopes alive.

Southampton currently sit fourth in the table, four points behind second-placed Leeds and five points behind leaders Ipswich, but they have a game in hand on some of those above them, and they face both Leicester and Leeds before the end of the season.

Palmer: Bazunu injury will not affect Southampton

Speaking exclusively to Football League World, Palmer says that while Bazunu’s injury is bad news for Southampton, he does not expect it to have a significant impact on the automatic promotion race.

“Bad news for Southampton, their goalkeeper who has played virtually every minute of the season and has been outstanding, Gavin Bazunu, is set to miss the rest of the season with an Achilles tendon injury,” Palmer said.

“It’s really bad news for Southampton, he missed the last game that they won.

“Southampton have won their last three on the bounce to bring them back into contention for an automatic promotion spot.

“They looked to be dead and buried out of that scene, but they’ve got in a game in hand now on Ipswich and Leeds.

“If they win that game in hand, that would put them back in the hunt.

“Is it advantage Leeds, Leicester and Ipswich with Bazunu out? I wouldn’t say so because there’s not that many games left until the end of the season.

“Most sides have got either three or four games left, that’s all, so I really wouldn’t say it’s advantage those sides.

“That’s why you have two goalkeepers, and you expect your deputy goalkeeper to come in and do a job for you.

“Certainly Southampton are in the race, they’ve got a massive game coming up now away at Cardiff on Saturday, and then they’ve got a massive game against Leicester away on Tuesday.

“They will decide their own fate now because they’ve got to play Leicester and they’ve got to play Leeds.

“You would expect them to pick up points against Cardiff and Stoke, and their fate will be decided by the games away at Leicester and Leeds.

“They’ve given themselves a real chance, but I think those are two difficult games away at Leicester and Leeds.”

As Palmer says, Bazunu will be a big loss for Southampton, but they have the ideal replacement in McCarthy.

McCarthy may not have featured regularly for the Saints this season, but he is a vastly experienced goalkeeper who has spent much of his career in the Premier League, and he will be a safe pair of hands over the coming weeks.

Southampton showed little sign of being affected by Bazunu’s absence against Preston on Tuesday night, and their confidence will be high after three consecutive victories.

The Saints are firmly back in the automatic promotion race, and with games against Cardiff City, Leicester, Stoke City and Leeds to come, they will be optimistic that they can sneak into the top two.

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