Southampton could be without one of their key players against Liverpool later this month

Southampton goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale could miss the Saints’ Premier League clash against Liverpool later this month after he withdrew from the England squad due to injury.

A club statement from the St Mary’s outfit confirmed the player was no longer part of the England squad for Nations League games against Greece and Republic of Ireland due to an injury he sustained in Saturday’s 2-0 loss against Wolves. The south coast club did not specify the injury but The Athletic has reported that the former Arsenal and Sheffield United man has suffered a suspected fractured finger that will require surgery and makes him a doubt to face Liverpool in less than two weeks.

Ramsdale joined the Saints from Arsenal at the end of August in a deal that could be worth up to £25m. He has played in all nine Southampton Premier League games since signing for the club. He has kept just one clean sheet, which came in the 1-0 win over Everton at the start of this month.

Explaining his reason to sign for Southampton, Ramsdale said when he joined the club: “I’m absolutely delighted. The way the manager wants to play, the way he was when I spoke to him, he was just full of so much enthusiasm. I’d never met him before, but he made me feel about eight feet tall, which is just what you want. Coming back down to the south coast as well for me and my family, it would be an easier transition than most, so I feel like I can hit the ground running. I’m looking forward to this year, just getting back to what I do best and having a big smile on my face while doing it here.”

Liverpool make the trip to Southampton on Sunday, November 24. The Reds are top of the Premier League after an impressive start to life under Arne Slot. They won 2-0 against Aston Villa at Anfield on Saturday evening to go five points clear of Manchester City in second. Southampton are bottom of the table with nine defeats from their opening 11 games. Their only win came against Everton while they picked up another point following a 1-1 draw with Ipswich Town in September.