Ahead of the 2026/27 season, Southampton head coach Tonda Eckert revealed that he expected Kuryu Matsuki to hit double digit goal numbers.
The Saints boss’s call raised a few eyebrows, but Japan international Matsuki, who recently scored on his debut for his nation, looks set to deliver just that. After a slow start, the 23-year-old has scored four times in the last seven matches.
A versatile player who can beat his man and also provide a physical presence as well as finding the back of the net, Matsuki has clearly paved his way into Tonda Eckert’s strongest Saints XI.
Southampton were set to have to make do without one of their star forwards for an upcoming month. The Asia Cup was to get underway on January 7th through to February 5th - but has now been postponed.
A month without Matsuki
Originally supposed to be held in Saudi Arabia from January to February 2027, Asia’s equivalent to the European Championships has been suspended until later on in the year due to conflict in the Middle East.
Those were the Southampton matches Matsuki was set to miss, with the Derby encounter a day after the planned final - but circumstances have changed.
The 23-year-old staying through a busy period will be a huge boost for Tonda Eckert and his Saints - and could help out one of their current loanees.
Loan recall would have been solution
Southampton have Leo Scienza, Sam Edozie and Tom Fellows as other wing options, with all three capable of playing on the right.
However, there’s a reason Kuryu Matsuki is the first-choice on that side.
One potential option they had in case of Matsuki’s unavailability was to recall Jay Robinson from his loan at Monza in the Italian Serie A. The 19-year-old has already scored twice for Ivan Juric’s side, and appears to be cherishing his time away.
Tonda Eckert has already confirmed that Southampton do have the option to terminate the exciting prospect’s loan in January.
While they will not want to halt the 19-year-old’s brilliant form, Robinson has already proved a goalscoring option off the right for the Saints - and their efforts in attempting to win promotion from the Championship should come first.
Matsuki is set to be an available option for the rest of the season - a huge bonus.
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