Southampton will be without Irish international Shane Long for up to six weeks after he fractured two ribs.

The 28-year old was forced off just 14 minutes after coming on as a substitute in the second half of Saturday's FA Cup fourth round defeat to Crystal Palace.

Thanks for all the tweets guys. Feeling alot better today and am on the mend. Here's to a speedy recovery 👍 😇 pic.twitter.com/4ZrJTKOlH3

— Shane Long (@ShaneLong7) January 25, 2015

Long suffered the injury after a collision with Palace defender Joel Ward.

The Ireland striker has scored three goals in all competitions for the Saints this season.