CYLE LARIN takes working from home to an absolute extreme.
While most people sit at the kitchen table with a mug of tea, the Southampton hitman has decked out his house with a high-tech man cave built purely for elite performance.
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Larin’s ultimate home den features a state-of-the-art gym setup, heavy weights, recovery pumps and even his own personal massage table.
And the Canadian striker‘s private retreat is paying massive dividends after firing him to a red-hot goalscoring run — landing him the SkyBet Championship player of the month award for August ahead of today’s clash with Bristol City.
Larin, 31, insists the brutal physical grind of the English second tier means extra homework off the pitch is non-negotiable.
He told SunSport: “I use it every day. With so many games, you just need to be physically ready for each match.
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“It doesn’t mean doing heavy weightlifting every day. It could be mobility, strength, stretching, or recovery things.
“I have recovery bands, weights, recovery pumps — almost anything a proper gym would have. We even have a recovery massage table in there too.
“Over the years, playing at different clubs with different players, I’ve learned how important that is. The Championship is one of the most physically demanding leagues in the world.”
The striker will keep his newly acquired gong proudly on display in his private setup as a daily reminder of what he can achieve at St Mary’s.
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Saturday 12 September
Bolton
0 – 0
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Cardiff
Derby
0 – 0
Live 31′
Birmingham
West Brom
0 – 0
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QPR
Blackburn
15:00
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Millwall
Charlton
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Portsmouth
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Preston
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Lincoln
Friday 11 September
West Ham
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Wrexham
Wednesday 9 September
Charlton
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QPR
Norwich
2 – 1
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Birmingham
Derby
0 – 1
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West Brom
Tuesday 8 September
Bolton
2 – 3
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West Ham
English Football League – Championship
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The Canadian hitman has won top silverware across Europe and represented Canada on the global stage at the World Cup, but surprisingly this is the first player-of-the-month award of his entire career.
He said: “I keep my trophies in the room where I have my gym and my game room. It’s my space where I can look at them and see what I’ve achieved, and what I can still achieve here.
“The first person I told was my wife — she was so thrilled for me.
“I was really happy to receive it because it’s the first one ever, which makes it a bit more special.
“I have my teammates to thank for it because they are the ones giving me the ball, but I’m in a good moment right now and just have to keep going.”
Larin credits Saints boss Tonda Eckert as a primary catalyst behind his blistering form and his decision to commit his long-term future to the South Coast after spending the second half of last season on loan from Mallorca.
The Canadian fired eight goals in 16 games before netting another five in his first six this season.
Tonda Eckert is a big reason why I decided to stay. He really cares for you as a person and that’s important.”
CYLE LARIN
He admits the manager’s ability to look beyond tactics and care for his players’ families off the pitch brings out his absolute best on it.
Larin explained: “He was a big reason why I came here and why I stayed. He cares about how the players are feeling before the football, and that was so important to me.
“How you’re doing off the field with your family matters, and when everything is well there, a player is able to perform on the pitch.
“He’s given me a lot of trust to go out there, play with freedom and score goals. He utilises all my abilities — not just scoring, but holding the ball up and moving into different areas.”
That bond proved vital during a chaotic summer.
Saints were expelled from the Championship play-off final after being caught spying on Middlesbrough — before being hit with a four-point penalty this season for further spying breaches at Ipswich and Oxford.
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Yet despite Southampton having a potential Premier League return stripped away off the pitch, Larin refused to walk away.
He said: “In the back of your mind you’re upset in the moment because certain things are taken away from you. But you know you can do it again.
“In football you don’t get the feeling that I had last year very often — for a team to come together like that and not lose so many games.
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“When you have something like that, it’s special. It’s something you keep and cherish.
“We know who we are and what type of team we can be. When we are at our absolute best, not a lot of teams can stop us.”