Jay Rodriguez will not be rushed back into the Saints first team – even if that means waiting until February for him to return to action.

As revealed yesterday by the Daily Echo, last season’s top scorer has undergone a minor operation on his right knee to aid his recovery from ACL reconstruction earlier in the year.

Though Saints will not publicly put timescales on a player’s recovery, it is understood that Rodriguez could be back around the turn of the year.

However, Saints boss Ronald Koeman has insisted he will not hurry Rodriguez back into the team and will only include him again when he is confident he is fully recovered.

He said: “It is sometimes difficult because if you say he will be fit on this date or in December it’s difficult because it was a tough injury and he needs time for that. The most important is that he will come back 100 per cent.

“We are not running to make him fit after six months. Maybe it will be January, maybe it will be February.

“We are not in a hurry. The most important is that he is fit to play football.”

Aside from the long term problem for Rodriguez, Saints have generally avoided too many injuries in the early stages of the season.

However, there are a few niggles at the moment with Steven Davis and Morgan Schneiderlin both doubts for Monday night’s game against Aston Villa.

“We know about Steven Davis, he didn’t play because he got a hamstring injury in the last game against Leicester at home,” reported Koeman.

“He’s not fit and maybe we have two days.

“If the game was Saturday he was not fit to play. He will be doubtful for Monday.

“Morgan came back with a groin injury from the French national team.

“He didn’t train today but I have good hope he will be fit for Monday.”

There is better news though on Dusan Tadic while James Ward-Prowse is also making progress.

“Tadic is fit,” said Koeman. “He did a normal training session and didn’t take any risk to play last Tuesday.

“Prowsey is doing well. The planning was around ten weeks and I think he’s now around six or seven weeks and that means three more weeks.

“It’s the same equation, if it’s ten weeks or 11 weeks we don’t focus ourselves.

“We focus on bringing players back in good physical shape to play football.”