Kevin Davies, the man whose late goal against Millwall helped Saints to their first FA Cup final for 27 years and earnt the club a huge cash windfall, has been released.

The 25-year-old Sheffield-born hitman has commanded more than £12m in transfer fees in his career but has been allowed to leave for nothing by Saints boss Gordon Strachan.

But Davies, who has had two spells at Saints, could be in line for a quick return to the Premiership after being linked to Sheffield United, the team he has supported since a boy, who take on Wolves in the First Division play-off final on Monday.

Saints were on the verge of going out of the FA Cup at the fourth round stage back in January before Davies equalised against Millwall in the dying seconds after coming on as a substitute.

Strachan said: "I've had a chat with Kevin and we think it's a good time for him to move on so he can look for another club to kick-start his career.

"He's been a good player to work with but we just feel he's been treading water for much of the season."

Davies was first signed for Saints by Graeme Souness in May 1997 for £750,000 from Chesterfield following their amazing run to the semi-finals of the FA Cup.

After a blistering first season in the Premiership, Blackburn boss Roy Hodgson shelled out a massive £7.5m to take the hitman to Ewood Park.

But he endured a miserable time with Rovers, beset by injuries and suffering the despair of relegation, and switched back to the south coast in exchange for Egil Ostenstad in August 1999.

Since that time he has failed to hold down a regular place in the starting line-up and this season, which included a loan spell at Millwall and a rejected move to Sheffield Wednesday in January, has managed just one start - in the 6-1 defeat at Arsenal - and 12 appearances from the bench.

But he scored two important goals - one against Aston Villa to earn a 2-2 draw in the Premiership in March and one against Millwall at St Mary's.

After his last goal against Villa in March the striker, whose total career at Saints has seen him net 25 goals in 89 starts and 36 sub appearances, said: "I've been here a long time and Southampton is home to me now, so if I have to go I'll be disappointed.

"The last two seasons haven't been very memorable but I wouldn't change anything about my career."

Davies' release will heighten speculation that Strachan will delve into the summer transfer market to bolster competition for striking places.

That will certainly be the case if Marian Pahars and Agustin Delgado fail to recover from long-standing injuries.