Tadanari Lee’s future remains in limbo ahead of Saints’ return to pre-season training.

The 27-year-old striker has turned down the chance of a permanent move to FC Tokyo, where he spent much of the first half of this year on loan, and is technically back at Saints.

Though that currently means on holiday, Lee doesn’t appear to feature in the long-term plans of the club or manager Mauricio Pochettino.

Lee went back to his native Japan in February to join FC Tokyo to get game time, but rejected the chance of a permanent move to the club because he felt he wasn’t getting enough matches.

He said: “I felt like I was only playing in fits and starts and thought a different challenge would be better for me.

“Maybe it was a case of me not being good enough. I spoke to the coach and we tried to work something out.”

Lee’s complaints were not without merit as he only started four games in his spell at FC Tokyo, coming off the bench on a further nine occasions, though he did scored four goals.

He remains an iconic figure in his native Japan thanks to his remarkable goal against Australia in the Asia Cup in 2011.

His move to England to join up with Saints from Sanfrecce Hiroshima in January 2012 was much trumpeted at the time but Lee has struggled to make a major first team breakthrough.

The early stages of his time at the club were meant to be a settling in period and he duly made a handful of appearances and scored to date his only Saints league goal, a wonder strike in a 4-0 St Mary’s win over Derby.

However, after the club’s promotion to the Premier League he found himself well and truly on the outside looking in.

Last season he made just three appearances, all in cup competitions, which included a goal against Stevenage in the Capital One Cup, but didn’t manage a single minute of top flight action.