Saints will quickly assess their transfer window policy once they determine the extent of the injuries suffered by Dejan Lovren and Gaston Ramirez.

The stricken duo were stretchered from the pitch with ankle injuries sustained within seconds of each other in the closing stages of the 2-2 draw at Sunderland.

Ramirez was taken to hospital for an X-ray before being discharged to fly home with his teammates while Lovren left the Stadium of Light wearing a protective boot.

Though a full and accurate diagnosis on either player by the top notch medical team at St Mary’s will not be possible until the swelling has gone down, initial indications are that the injuries are not as bad as first feared.

Lovren, injured challenging Steven Fletcher for the ball, is likely to have sustained ankle ligament damage.

Ramirez, injured by the follow through of a Wes Brown challenge, looks to have thankfully avoided a messy break that would probably have ended his chances of competing in this summer’s World Cup for Uruguay.

While that is undoubtedly good news his injury is still likely to be fairly serious, with initial talk of a hairline fracture and ligament damage.

Mauricio Pochettino had said Saints were not in the market for a player this month but, depending on the medical reports, that could potentially change.

The Saints boss is hoping to meet new non-executive chairman Katharina Liebherr over the coming week for a more detailed discussion over this and other matters, having only spoken with her for five minutes since the departure of Nicola Cortese last Wednesday night.

He said: “It’s clear that we need to analyse many things with the chairwoman.

“We will see what happens in the transfer window and we also need to analyse what’s happened with these two players who were injured.

“Overall I can’t answer so many questions in such a short period of time. I also have the same questions.”

He added: “After Thursday there wasn’t that much time to think about anything else aside from focussing on the game at Sunderland.

“We took the flight up to Sunderland and there wasn’t much time to think about anything else.”

It was nice for Saints to get back to the football after what Pochettino admitted had been an exhausting week.

Pochettino insists he will continue with business as usual.

“The club has its own procedure and nothing has changed. We are going to carry on with what we’re doing. Nothing has changed,” he said.

“I have received no news or any intention or direction to change what we have been doing so we are going to keep on doing what we have been doing.”