Southampton right-back Tino Livramento is edging closer to a return from injury, as seen in a new Twitter post from the player himself.

The Lowdown: Livramento's absence

Livramento is yet to feature for the Saints this season, suffering a cruciate ligament rupture back in April, which has caused him to miss 22 games.

Having made 28 Premier League appearances during the last campaign after arriving from Chelsea in a deal worth £5m, the Englishman established himself as an important player at St Mary's, and a promising update has now emerged indicating that he might be back soon.

The Latest: Injury update

Taking to Twitter, the player posted a picture of himself in Southampton training at a winter camp in Andalusia, captioned: 'Light at the end of the tunnel. Getting closer and closer..."

As such, depending on how he progresses, the 20-year-old could stake a claim for a starting place to his new manager Nathan Jones in the New Year, the earliest time he was initially expected to return.

The Verdict: Big boost

In the absence of the youngster, Kyle Walker-Peters has largely got the nod on the right of defence, but he has been somewhat up and down, receiving an average SofaScore rating of just 6.66 in the league, ranking him 14th in the Southampton squad.

The option of having Livramento, who has been hailed as "superb" by journalist Josh Bunting, available again in the New Year will therefore be a big boost in terms of defensive options for Jones, particularly considering his remarkable intercepting ability, registering an average 1.89 per 90 minutes over the past year, placing him in the 97th percentile.

With the Saints looking to steer themselves clear of the relegation zone, it will be a relief for the new boss to have the talented youngster available soon, and he will be looking to ease him back in so that he can pick up from where he left off before his ACL injury.