Charlie Austin ruled out of Southampton's clash with Middlesbrough

Charlie Austin has been ruled out of Southampton's Premier League clash with Middlesbrough after injuring his shoulder against Hapoel Be'er Sheva in the Europa League.

Southampton crashed out of Europe on Thursday night after being held to a disappointing 1-1 draw by the Israeli minnows at St Mary's.

The Saints struggled to find a way past their Group K opponents without Austin, who was forced off the field with a shoulder injury shortly before half-time.

Southampton boss Claude Puel admitted after the match that he did not know the true extent of Austin's injury - but ruled him out of Sunday's match against Middlesbrough.

"Charlie has a shoulder injury and we will see about this," said Puel.

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"I don't know how long he will be out but he's important for us.

"I'm not sure if it's dislocated. I don't know about that but he cannot play for the next game of course."

Austin, who is Southampton's top-scorer this season with nine goals, is expected to undergo tests on Friday.

Puel believes the Saints have enough firepower up front to cope without the former Burnley and Queens Park Rangers striker in the coming weeks.

"We will assess him in the next few days," said Puel. "We have Shane Long, Jay Rodriguez, Dusan Tadic and Sofiane Boufal; it's important to work with all the players.

"It is a disappointment for him because he has had a good first part of the season, but it's important for the team to have a good answer with a different offensive player.

"We will see the quality of other players. We are a group, a collective, and it is important to consider all of this, not individual things."

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