Southampton manager Ronald Koeman has revealed that he is considering naming Jay Rodriguez in his squad before the end of the season.
Rodriguez has been out since rupturing ligaments in his knee last April, but he finally resumed full training with his teammates on Wednesday.
Despite admitting that the Saints must be cautious with the forward, Koeman believes a return against Manchester City on the final day of the season is a possibility.
"I hope Jay can be part one of the last games, maybe the last one. It will be tough because it is at Manchester City and he got his injury against them," the Dutchman told reporters.
"But the focus has to be on next season. If he is part of one or two games this season it will be great for him, great for his team-mates and great for the club.
"He's putting everything in to coming back, but we're not in a hurry, he has to be 100% that's most important."
The Saints return to action against Sunderland at the Stadium of Light on Saturday.
Callum Mulvihill
