Delgado will be back, says brother

Agustin Delgado's brother has lashed out at Southampton for demanding that the Ecuadorian striker should return to England immediately.

Marcos Delgado, speaking from Ecuadorian capital Quito, said Southampton wanted his brother to return even though he was still going through injury rehabilitation which was interrupted by the World Cup.

"Agustin has gone to a private doctor, who did an MRI and told him he had one and a half months to go," said Delgado.

That assessment was three weeks ago, and the prognosis is now that Delgado, 28, will return to Southampton on August 4.

However, the club want him back sooner than that and Marcos Delgado was unhappy with their stance.

"Of course he wants to go back but he does not want to return injured," he said.

"He prefers to recover in Ecuador but the club don't accept that and want him to return.

"My brother plays for Southampton but his body, his feelings, his life are his and not the club's."

He also criticised the Ecuadorian Football Federation (EFF) for not taking action which could have eased the tensions between the former Necaxa striker and Southampton.

"He was not able to finish that rehabilitation and after the World Cup he was injured.

"The Ecuadorian Football Federation should have sent a medical certificate to the club regarding this matter."

The striker played all three of Ecuador's matches at the World Cup, scoring in the 2-1 loss to Mexico.

His brother appealed to the club for patience, even with pre-season training now under way.

"It is obvious that he can't train with others at the club," he said.

"I hope they can understand and excuse the situation, but my brother wants to return healthy."