Jay Rodriguez's Southampton career will always be a case of what might have been
Several past Southampton heroes have hung up their boots in recent times.
Earlier this year, Jose Fonte finally called time on his long-lasting career, with a spell at Liga Portugal outfit Casa Pia his last venture, after making a mammoth 288 appearances for the Saints.
Last summer, Adam Lallana also announced his retirement, having played alongside Fonte at St. Mary's.
Lallana is now Southampton's U21s manager, while his ex-teammate is on the coaching staff at Sunderland, as they try to make a name for themselves post their playing days.
Jay Rodriguez will have to think about these next steps now, as well, as the 37-year-old has confirmed he has hung up his boots, after a goal-filled, but injury-heavy career, which saw him play for Tonda Eckert's men for five years.
Rodriguez has announced his retirement
Rodriguez also played for the likes of Burnley, West Bromwich Albion, and Wrexham during his lengthy career, so he is an instantly recognisable face to football fans up and down the country.
Appearing on the I Had Trials Once podcast, he has officially confirmed that he has retired, with the Burnley-born striker left without a club, since he walked away from Wrexham during the summer.
Scoring a weighty 156 career goals along the way, Rodriguez will be fondly remembered by a lot of the supporters who watched him, with Clarets supporters particularly fond of one of their own, as he scored 15 second tier goals during the 2011/12 season to help the Lancashire side to the Premier League.
He would join Southampton after this promotion was sealed, and he would go on to prove himself as a capable top-flight attacker with the Saints, with a red-hot 15 Premier League goals tallied up come the end of the 2013/14 campaign.
Rodriguez would even be called up to the England first team fold during this purple patch of form, as Roy Hodgson - the then Three Lions boss - took a shine to the versatile forward, who could play up top, or down the wing.
Unfortunately, this is where his Saints tale starts to go downhill, as injury issues started to plague his St. Mary's stay, leaving many today wondering what could have been if he remained out of the treatment room, especially as the memories flood back with his retirement news.
His Saints career remains a case of what could have been
Jack Cork, who played alongside Rodriguez numerous times on the South Coast, alongside crossing paths with him at Turf Moor, once boldly stated that the 6-foot-1 menace "can do everything" on his day.
Known for being quick and alert when running through on goal, alongside being able to play down either wing, or up top, he really was a manager's dream when fit and firing.
This would all culminate in that terrific 15-goal season, with the aforementioned Fonte noting that the slick number nine is a player who will always "cause problems."
Looking back, Rodriguez wouldn't realise - in the moment - that this would be the peak of his Saints journey, as a nasty injury picked up against Manchester City, towards the close of this 15-goal campaign, resulted in him being in the treatment room for some time.
At the time, BBC Radio Five Live commentator Pat Nevin would label the moment as "horrible", and Southampton's worst fears would be realised, as the injury would be confirmed as a devastating anterior cruciate ligament blow.
Heartbreakingly, the now-retired attacker would go on to miss the entire 2014/15 season through injury, with only a further five top-flight goals coming his way for the Saints, when he attempted to bounce back from this harsh adversity.
The beautiful game can be a very cruel mistress, with consistent injury setbacks derailing Rodriguez, away from this anterior cruciate ligament hurdle, right up until he decided to call time on his career.
Despite all this anguish, Rodriguez will always have an England cap next to his name, and he will always be remembered for those 15-goal heroics for the Saints, which helped Mauricio Pochettino's men clinch a fantastic eighth spot in the Premier League.
There is a twinge of pain as to what could have been, though, if he hadn't been taken off on that stretcher at the Etihad.
