While the likes of Ryan Manning and Finn Azaz will not be at the upcoming World Cup with the Republic of Ireland, fellow Southampton personnel Cyle Larin and Ross Stewart will be there flying the Saints flag, for both Canada and Scotland, respectively.
For the time being, at least, Larin is still on the Saints' roster, with the 31-year-old situated at St. Marys on loan.
Past the World Cup, though, he will be retreating to parent employers Mallorca, with Larin's red-hot goalscoring form on the South Coast ultimately counting for nothing, as Southampton had their promotion hopes dashed by Spygate coming to the surface.
Not only did Spygate leave their promotion dreams in tatters, but it has also meant that a permanent deal for Larin to join the club is in ruins, too.
This is such a disappointing and abrupt end to the Ontario-born star's spell in England, with Larin sticking out as a deadly poacher throughout the second half of the season.
Larin's electric form at Southampton
In his first interview after joining on loan, Larin said it had always been an "itch" of his to play on English shores, with the nomadic striker playing in nations such as Turkey, Spain, and the United States across his diverse playing days.
He has finally managed to tick England off, and he managed to instantly fit in, too, with a potent eight goals collected from 16 Championship appearances propelling the South Coast giants into the playoff picture.
More aura than @Gymskinlive 🥶 pic.twitter.com/FwZ4RDLhOt
— Southampton FC (@SouthamptonFC) April 7, 2026
Of course, with everything that has come to light, all of this goalscoring prowess has counted for nothing, but the 88-time Canada international will still be proud of his individual contributions donning Southampton red and white.
At the end of the day, the ageing striker needed a pick me up drastically, having only bagged one sorry effort on the books of Feyenoord, before leaving the Netherlands behind for the Championship.
He will be looking to channel his heartbreak and anger with the Saints into a successful World Cup with his country, with Canada's manager, Jesse Marsch, praising the well-travelled attacker in the build-up to the frantic tournament.
He will be ready to perform at the World Cup
Marsch is no stranger to the English game, himself, having previously managed Leeds United in the Premier League.
He will be on the sidelines for Canada's Group B games against Bosnia and Herzegovina, Qatar, and Switzerland, with the one-time Elland Road boss backing the experienced striker to have a goal-filled tournament, to push his lingering frustrations with Southampton to one side.
Marsch said, when commenting on Larin, after announcing his World Cup squad: "I know he feels robbed by the situation that’s happened in Southampton.
"There’s been a lot of banter around this week about who should be in the Premier League … but Cyle’s form is exactly what we wanted. Going to Southampton, having to fight for minutes, having to play the way that he did in that kind of league, showing his quality, scoring goals, building confidence.”
Marsch will be hopeful that Larin can bag during the Group B opener against Bosnia to get Canada's World Cup campaign up and running on the best possible note, after they failed to win a single game out in Qatar in 2022.
Past the World Cup, it will be intriguing to see what club the fox-in-the-box presence calls home, with Larin's Premier League dreams dead in the water with the Saints.
Yet, having been a goal machine for various clubs across several continents up to this point, he will back himself to bounce back after he has picked up even more caps for Canada.
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