Southampton need to capitalise on injury setback to secure fresh agreement: View | OneFootball

Highlights

Southampton would have been devastated by the news that Dom Ballard has broken his patella tendon.

Ballard is currently on loan at Reading, linking up with the Royals in the summer on a season-long loan deal in an agreement that saw Thierry Rohart-Brown move the other way.

With Sam Smith out of action at the time of his arrival, this signing was seen as a very positive one, with the Berkshire outfit managing to get this temporary deal over the line on deadline day.

And he was able to make a reasonably positive contribution during his time at the Select Car Leasing Stadium.

Some will say he didn't look like a superstar in League One, but he didn't get even half a season to prove his worth in the royal county, making just 10 league appearances and 12 in total.

Registering five goals in these 12 competitive displays, that isn't a bad total and he will be looking to build on this next season as he looks to continue developing after recovering from his injury.

Dom Ballard set to miss the rest of the season

He will be out for the remainder of the campaign with his broken patella tendon, which is a real blow considering he was just getting started in Berkshire.

An awkward fall at Wycombe Wanderers last month caused him to miss the rest of the season - and he will be frustrated after managing to become a key part of Ruben Selles' plans.

With Harvey Knibbs moving into a more central position and Selles trusting Ballard on the left wing, the 18-year-old looked set to be a regular starter during 2023/24.

But this injury has meant Paul Makairu has taken his spot - and Ballard will now need to go on a long journey in his quest to recover.

Ballard's current contract expires in the summer of 2026 after putting pen to paper in the summer, which means he still has two-and-a-half years remaining on his deal.

That's a healthy amount of time, but he attracted interest from sides in England and Germany before signing this deal, and he may attract interest from other clubs if he returns and scores regularly at a senior or academy level.

He may not have been hugely impressive at Reading, but he scored at a decent rate at the SCL Stadium and clearly showed that he can step up to a senior level.

With this in mind, getting the England youth international tied down to a new deal whilst he's out injured and won't be attracting interest seems logical.

Ross Stewart isn't guaranteed to remain fit for much of his stay at St Mary's if the early stages of his time on the south coast are anything to go by - and it may only be a matter of time before Che Adams departs the club.

Ballard, then, is likely to be a crucial asset for the Saints in the coming years and will only get better in the next few seasons despite his major injury setback.