Southampton striker Charlie Austin ruled out of Middlesbrough clash

Southampton manager Claude Puel has confirmed that Charlie Austin will miss this weekend's Premier League match against Middlesbrough due to a shoulder injury.

The 27-year-old suffered a suspected dislocated shoulder during Thursday night's Europa League elimination.

Austin was substituted in the first half of the Saints' 1-1 draw with Hapoel Be'er Sheva, and Puel is unsure how long his striker will be on the sidelines for.

"Charlie has a shoulder injury and we will see about this," Puel told reporters. "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. We will assess him in the next few days.

"We have Shane Long, Jay Rodriguez, Dusan Tadic and Sofiane Boufal; it's important to work with all the players."

Austin is the club's current leading scorer with nine goals to his name.