Adkins rejects Lambert op talk

Striker missed Blackpool game as a precaution



Southampton boss Nigel Adkins has rejected rumours that Rickie Lambert requires surgery on an injury.

Lambert missed Saturday's 3-0 defeat to Blackpool with a pelvic injury suffered in the 2-0 win over Doncaster last weekend and watched on as the Saints saw their lead at the top of the table cut to two points. Rumours had suggested Lambert could be forced to go under the knife to rule him out for the rest of the season. However, Adkins insists Lambert does not need to undergo surgery and that he missed the Blackpool game as a precaution.

"Rickie Lambert does not need an operation, he has not had an operation," Adkins told Radio Solent. "We thought he was going to be fine for Saturday but he wasn't.  He trained Thursday, did half the session, came off and was very uncomfortable. "The last thing we want to do is lose Rickie Lambert for a long period of time. We have other strikers here who are fit so we utilised them."

Southampton face relegation-threatened Portsmouth in the south-coast derby at St Mary's at the weekend.