Daniel Peretz had to make do with watching the pre-season action between Eastleigh and Southampton from the stands of the Silverlake Stadium.
Pictured wearing preventative wrist gear, the worry would have been that the ex-Bayern Munich goalkeeper was nursing a nasty injury that could impact him featuring towards the start of the forthcoming Championship season.
This would have been awful luck on Tonda Eckert and Co's end, as Peretz will be viewed as an option in between the sticks that Southampton can rely on for the foreseeable future, having collected a promising nine clean sheets from only 26 appearances last campaign.
Thankfully, it has come to light that the 26-year-old was only wearing the wrist gear as a precautionary measure, with it noted post-match as being 'nothing to worry about'.
With Finn Azaz further noted as having a shin issue, he also wasn't present against the National League hosts.
There is still a number of weeks to go until the new Championship campaign kicks off, so both Peretz and Azaz should be fine for the opening matchday against Watford, with another notable absentee nowhere to be seen in Hampshire.
The other notable absentee
The 2026 World Cup wrapping up will have delayed some Southampton players returning to pre-season training.
Yukinari Sugawara was present at the hectic tournament for Japan, who is on the Saints roster, but he looks to be on the move this summer.
Cyle Larin is also absent at this moment in time, after bagging two goals for Canada on the world's biggest stage, as the Southampton flag was waved high.
Rightly, Eckert has handed Larin some extended downtime, after he embarked on this frantic adventure with his nation after the Saints' domestic season nearly went the distance.
In an interview conducted after the 3-1 friendly victory over Eastleigh, Eckert opened up on when the Brampton Bagsman will return to his South Coast camp.
The matter-of-fact German said: "He'll be back end of July", as he recharges off the pitch with some time with his family.
Further noting that they will wait and see if he's fit enough for the EFL Cup tie with Colchester United on the 7th of August, it could be touch-and-go as to whether he can feature against Watford to kickstart the Championship season.
Southampton fans will be praying that their star marksman is back for the game with the Hornets, with his lack of sharpness perhaps something that shouldn't be worried about, as he hardly knew the Saints group mid-way through last season, yet entered the ranks like a runaway train.
He should be raring to go for the season
Indeed, Larin would instantly make himself a fan favourite at St. Mary's with his potent displays from the get-go.
From only 949 minutes of Championship action, the 31-year-old would help himself to a deadly eight goals.
There were no cobwebs present from his dire Feyenoord loan stint earlier that same season, as he managed zero Eredivisie goals from only 157 minutes of action.
Therefore, even if he does have a quiet July when it comes to matches, he will have a confidence coursing through his veins that he can be an instant goalscoring machine again, as he laid dormant in the Netherlands, before exploding into life in England.
Moreover, in a weird way, Larin's pre-season activity was the World Cup, with a danger of running him into the ground if Eckert hadn't handed him some time off, after giving his all for his country's underdog cause.
Both Peretz and Larin might not have played against Eastleigh, but they will undoubtedly be depended on when the proper football returns next month, as Saints fans keep their fingers crossed they can recapture their loan magic to guide the South Coast giants to promotion.
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