Team news | Sargent ruled out of Southampton fixture

Philippe Clement has confirmed that Josh Sargent will follow concussion protocol and has been ruled out of Saturday's game at home to Southampton.

Philippe Clement has confirmed that Josh Sargent will follow concussion protocol and has been ruled out of Saturday's game at home to Southampton.

The US international went off during Tuesday night's draw at Sheffield United, with the head coach confirming that he had suffered a concussion.

Clement also confirmed that Kenny McLean will be assessed before tomorrow's game at Carrow Road.

"Josh (Sargent) had a concussion, so we know the rules. He will be out of the game tomorrow. He was feeling bad after the game, but is starting to feel better. There are clear rules now, we have to take those into consideration.

"The brain is something very important and you cannot take any risks with that, so we will follow the rules as we need to.

"Kenny (McLean) is still doubtful, but getting better. We will make an assessment before tomorrow. Mathias (Kvistgaarden) is testing day by day. He's available for tomorrow if he feels like he could be an option.

"Liam (Gibbs) and José (Córdoba) are back, Anis (Ben Slimane) took some minutes from the bench. Ben (Chrisene) also took some minutes, so I am happy all these guys are back with us. It's a boost for us.

"Lucien Mahovo and Elliot Myles have been back in training with the group, which is another positive. He (Mahovo) looked good, trained with a big smile."

The head coach also spoke about the importance of the squad moving in the same direction, something that Clement has been pleased with:

"I cannot ask more from the players at the moment. Physically, they want to give everything. The players are attentive and engaged. It's important to get a team who communicates well.

"Of course, it's not perfect yet as it's only been three weeks. There are comparisons with other clubs, so I know with the right work, it's not a new situation. I've had it with other clubs in the past.

"If everyone steps in the right way, we will get results. They need to stay in the story and work hard. We want to raise bars for many people, not only players but staff too."

With the Saints the visitors to Carrow Road this weekend, the Belgian also spoke about the threats that Tonda Eckert's side will pose:

"Southampton is a really interesting one. It's our sixth game together, and we're playing teams who are in good form. A lot of respect towards them, they have a good squad and experience in the Premier League.

"Physically, they're one of the top teams in the league. It's a challenge and I don't care if it's against a League One team or against Real Madrid, it's about us. We want to make our players better on the ball and not make mistakes. They're lethal in transitions, it'll be a good challenge and I am looking forward to it.

"I was pleased with how dominant we were on the ball away to Sheffield United. If you lose the best striker in the league and your captain and you see a lot of young guys on the pitch, who has that experience to lead on the pitch? Pelle deserved it (the armband), he has played well.

"It would've been easy, from the past, to die at 1-0 down. But we need to keep that resilience, as we'll have a lot of tough moments. The fans stay behind the team.

"You need to prove that on the pitch. That's our target for tomorrow, against a very tough team."