Eckert: "Proper man" Larin deserved dream debut
Tonda Eckert felt Cyle Larin’s dream debut was a deserved reward for the striker’s hard work and preparation in his first week as a Saint.
Southampton head coach Eckert introduced the Canadian striker in the 67th minute on Saturday with his team locked at 0-0 against fellow play-off chasers Watford, only for Larin to head home James Bree’s corner three minutes later, scoring the winning goal with his very first touch for his new club.
Eckert later revealed Larin had been training overtime at Staplewood through the week, describing his newest recruit as “a proper man” and praising his commitment from day one.
“I’m very happy, buzzing for him,” Eckert said of his new No 9. “He’s just a proper man; a proper man coming into the building – I think that was important for us as a group.
“He has been in every day of the week, even on a day off, just to make sure his body is right to contribute, and he did this in a perfect way.”
Also summoned from the bench as part of a double substitution alongside Larin was Samuel Edozie, who made his first appearance in a Saints shirt for 18 months, an absence dating back to August 2024.
“It’s a long time. Some things in football are not so easy to explain, sometimes they go a little bit different than you expect,” Eckert said.
“What I can say is that Sammy has always been professional, and now we close the chapter for whatever has happened over the last months. He’s fully there and engaged, and I think he was excellent coming on today.”
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