Southampton will consider signing a goalkeeper on an emergency loan if current No 1 Alex McCarthy faces a spell out of the team.
Head coach Ralph Hasenhuttl confirmed McCarthy sustained a hamstring injury during the club’s 1-1 draw against Brighton & Hove Albion at St Mary’s.
And with Fraser Forster — the club’s second-choice goalkeeper — also injured, it leaves Harry Lewis as Southampton’s only option.
Lewis, 23, is yet to make a Premier League appearance, and the St Mary’s side’s next game is away to Arsenal.
But The Athletic understands that consideration is already being given to signing a goalkeeper on an emergency loan to help fill the void vacated by both McCarthy and Forster.
The full extent of McCarthy’s injury remains unknown and won’t become clear until the 32-year-old has had a scan.
(Photo: Chris Brunskill/Getty Images)
What has Hasenhuttl said?
The Austrian was extremely critical of McCarthy after Brighton’s Neal Maupay scored a 98th-minute equaliser to snatch a point against Southampton.
“This is why we couldn’t play out (from the back) in the second half, but I didn’t know how tough it (the injury) was,” Hasenhuttl said. “I thought he only couldn’t play the long ball, so I kept him in goal. If I would do it again, I would change it. But I couldn’t because I didn’t have the message.
“This is something we cannot accept. There must be a message, and then we can make a change. I still had one change in hand, and I can change the goalkeeper if necessary. Alex must be more professional, and this is what I missed today.”
