Southampton defender Tino Livramento staging his return from injury will be a “silver lining” for Ruben Selles, according to journalist Dean Jones.

What's the latest injury news on Livramento?

Livramento first arrived on the south coast back in August 2021 when he joined from Premier League rivals Chelsea, but he’s made just 32 appearances during that time as a result of being on the sidelines through injury.

In 2021/22, he missed 28 days of action with knee problems followed by his cruciate ligament rupture, which has kept him absent for almost a year to date, as per Transfermarkt. At the end of March, however, Selles confirmed during a press conference that the 20-year-old was making great progress and that he expects him to “join the team soon”.

The Athletic reports that the Blues negotiated a £38m buy-back clause as part of his Southampton deal, and it was claimed late last year that they were thinking about bringing him back, with journalist Pete O’Rourke stating that it’s a “never say never” situation, but his focus right now will surely be simply returning to the field and building up his match fitness and game time.

Speaking to GiveMeSport, Jones couldn’t speak highly enough of Livramento and insisted that Southampton would be receiving great news when it’s confirmed that he is ready to pull his Saints shirt back on and stake his claim for a place in the first team. He said:

"I think it's definitely a silver lining to have Livramento coming back into the side now; he's a player that they will have missed for sure. We all know the qualities that he's got and what he's capable of."

Will Livramento's return be a positive for Southampton?

Livramento will certainly take a lot of time to gradually return to his old self after such a serious long-term injury, but having been dubbed a “threat” by pundit Noel Whelan, Southampton could be getting a massive boost when he does stage his comeback.

The Saints right-back was averaging 1.9 tackles and 1.7 interceptions per top-flight game prior to his absence, via WhoScored, scoring one goal and notching two assists in his debut season (Transfermarkt). The £8k-p/w talent appears extremely reliable on the ball, having completed 507 of his 587 short passes, giving him a success rate of 86.4%.

Finally, Livramento can easily adapt to different formations where outside of his natural position, and we think this versatility makes him a wonderful option for the boss to have available at his disposal.