Southampton head coach Ralph Hasenhuttl has revealed that Romeo Lavia and Armel Bella-Kotchap are both "in contention" to face Newcastle United at St Mary's on Saturday.
Lavia, 18, has missed the last eight Premier League games since picking up a hamstring injury after scoring in the 2-1 win against Chelsea back in August.
The midfielder, who joined from Manchester City over the summer, made his comeback for the Under-21s last weekend when he played the first 45 minutes of Southampton's 8-1 Premier League 2 win against Middlesbrough.
Meanwhile, centre-back Bella-Kotchap has been sidelined since he dislocated his shoulder in the 1-1 draw with West Ham United in the middle of last month.
Hasenhuttl has revealed that Lavia missed training on Thursday due to a minor knee problem, but the midfielder and Bella-Kotchap are set to return for Saturday's encounter against Newcastle.
"[Lavia is] in contention, yes." Hasenhuttl said at a press conference on Friday. "But we had, this week, also a little problem with his knee.
"This happens often when you are long out, some other issues and you have to be careful. Yesterday he was not training but I think he will be part of the squad on the weekend for us. I think this is quite likely.
"[Bella-Kotchap] is also an option for the weekend. He is back in training and has trained everything and shows no fear."
Hasenhuttl has also confirmed that right-back Kyle Walker-Peters has suffered a setback in his recovery from a hamstring injury and is unlikely to play for the Saints until after the World Cup.
The 25-year-old picked up his injury after attempting to block a cross midway through the second half of Southampton's 1-0 win against Bournemouth last month, and has since missed the last two games against Arsenal and Crystal Palace.
"[Walker-Peters's availability] has gone from low to no [possibility]," the Austrian added. "We have one week left and he is not training with us so I don't think so."
Fellow right-back Valentino Livramento, who has been sidelined since April with an ACL injury, is also unavailable as he continues his recovery process.
Southampton head into Saturday's game after winning only one of their last nine Premier League matches, and they suffered their seventh defeat of the season when they lost 1-0 at Crystal Palace last weekend.
The Saints currently sit 17th in the table and just one point above the relegation zone, but a win against an in-form Newcastle outfit could see them climb to as high as 11th place. body check tags ::
