Cyle Larin has fallen behind in the Championship golden boot race due to injury.
Indeed, Larin was once leading the way as the division's overall top goalscorer, but the Southampton striker hasn't scored across his last four second tier outings, leaving him stuck on seven strikes.
Consequently, Will Lankshear has raced into a sizeable lead with 11 goals, and even Blackburn Rovers' Andri Gudjohnsen has leapfrogged the Brampton Bagsman to silver medal position, with eight strikes.
The hope will be that Larin is back amongst the goals shortly, when he has fully shaken off his recurring injury problem.
While the clinical Canadian has suffered a little from a dip in form, there is a lower league version of Larin still powering home the goals for fun in League One...
The lower league Larin
It's amazing that two strikers who have Canadian connections are lighting up the EFL currently.
Growing up in Calgary, which is quite the trek from Larin's Brampton origins, Abirim Pepple is a much-loved attacking presence for Plymouth Argyle.
Mainly playing in Canada, before joining Luton Town in 2022, it's been with the Pilgrims where Pepple has really shone, much like Larin has never looked back since joining the Saints, even if he is experiencing a minor wobble right now.
He would never score a senior strike for the Hatters, alongside experiencing goal-shy spells at Bromley, and Grimsby Town.
But, in Devon, he has a red-hot 26 strikes next to his name from 57 matches, with Home Park just the right for fit for Pepple, like Larin has experienced at St. Mary's.
Bim Pepple nets his second goal in as many games to seal the result 👊 pic.twitter.com/tnc9sFnus7
— Plymouth Argyle FC (@Argyle) September 13, 2026
The next aim for the 23-year-old will be to be capped by the Canada national side, with Larin all the way up to 95 caps for Jesse Marsch's camp, as he likely winds down on his long-lasting career on the international stage shortly.
Could Pepple be the perfect successor to the Canada regular?
The Argyle number 27 will also fancy following in the footsteps of Larin in making a name for himself in the Championship down the line, as Tom Cleverley's men are in the promotion hunt in League One.
Indeed, Cleverley will know that keeping Pepple around will be crucial to his team's promotion chances, having hailed the 6-foot-1 menace as a scorer of "big goals" previously.
Pepple might be fast-tracked up to the second tier, without having to do it the hard way, as he has been linked with a wide array of Championship clubs.
Could he making his way to the Championship?
Back in the summer, it was noted that the likes of Sheffield United and Bolton Wanderers were keen on the breakout Argyle sensation.
Alongside the Blades and the Trotters being interested, Wrexham were also named as another second tier club keeping tabs on Pepple, with his strong and physical approach when holding off defenders suiting the imposing Red Dragons.
Would Tonda Eckert's side ever consider a move for Pepple, considering how well their last foray into the market for a Canadian gem went?
It's not a crazy suggestion, but after leading the line as Plymouth's main striker for so long, it might be a hard one to pull off if Pepple had to settle for being second fiddle to Larin.
Cleverley and Co. will no doubt bat away any interest this January, if the clubs named come back in for the in-form marksman.
When it comes to Larin, it will all be about getting him back up to speed with his fitness, as he tries to fire his own team to promotion, away from focusing on his Canadian understudy.
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