Daily Echo:

Jay Rodriguez’s Southampton departure marks a sad end to what was once an exciting chapter in the club’s history, but he goes with the best wishes of all connected with Saints.

Wind back to the start of April 2014 and it seemed that Rodriguez had the world at his feet, and anything was possible for Saints.

Both the club and the player were riding the crest of a wave.

Saints were back at the top level of English football and, under Mauricio Pochettino, playing thrilling footballing, and winning football too.

For Rodriguez, it was to be the best time of his career, at least to date.

He found himself in a system and a way of playing that seemed to be impossible for opponents to stop.

It felt as if the only way was up.

By the time he walked out at the Etihad Stadium to face Manchester City on April 5, 2014, Rodriguez had already scored 17 goals that season, made his England debut and seemed a shoe-in to go the World Cup.

It was hard to imagine that things could really get much better for the man Saints recruited from Burnley for just £7m in 2012.

Sadly, they were about to get much worse.

From the highest of career highs to the lowest of lows in a moment. It’s the story of a few unfortunate footballers, and it befell Rodriguez on that day in Manchester.

He was to be stretchered off the pitch at the Etihad in agony. Scans later revealed that the initial fears were correct, and he had ruptured his cruciate ligament.

Clearly this was a huge setback, but even then it wasn’t apparent just how bad it might be.

An ACL tear is a serious injury, and for a player that relies on a turn of pace and agility running with the ball, it is impossible to know whether they can really ever come back at the same level. In truth, few ever do.

But even so there was still optimism. Rodriguez was young and strong and determined.

What followed was a depressing catalogue of problems that has still yet to find a happy ending three years later.

Complications with the initial operation meant more surgery further down the line, comebacks were short lived and resulted in more injuries, and foot surgery too.

In the end 2014/15 proved a complete write-off, and 2015/16 was so stop-start that it seemed every step forward was quickly followed by two in the opposite direction.

Last season underlined the problems Rodriguez really faces at this stage of his career.

He can stay fit for sustained periods of time now, but he has to rediscover, or, more precisely, reinvent himself.

You never lose class, and Rodriguez has plenty of that. That is something strongly in his favour.

But at Saints, where those memories of his swashbuckling runs and goals are still fresh enough in the memory, a £14m move to West Brom marks the end of the line.

It might have been better all-round had Rodriguez left a year ago when it first seemed as if he was going to depart.

Even then it felt as if a fresh start might be good for all parties, but then Rodriguez popped up with a goal off the bench against Sunderland at a time Saints were struggling and it was too hard a move to sell.

So Rodriguez ended up staying and, in truth, largely wasting another season he could have got back on his feet.

It was only largely wasting because he did still have some bright performances, notably his two goals away at Bournemouth, but even that again proved to be somewhat of a false dawn.

Rodriguez got to the stage where no longer played that deep, breaking, running, position which made his name at Saints.

The impression is that the injuries have taken their toll and he cannot do that any longer. Whether he agrees is probably a moot point.

Instead he has found himself limited to a solo striking role, something he can do but which doesn’t play to his strengths, or his former strengths.

Quite what Tony Pulis has in mind for him at West Brom we shall wait to see, but the fact he has been after Rodriguez for so long suggests he is a man with a plan.

Rodriguez really did have to go now, as sad as that is.

He was stale and stagnant at Saints, and he needs a mental as well as physical refresh. It is in everybody’s interest that it happened.

And if he goes on and does really well at The Hawthorns, it should be something worthy of a celebration amongst Saints fans rather than recriminations as to why he was sold when he still had something to offer.

Sometimes in life people go through hard times and need to make a change. It’s the only way to progress.

Rodriguez seemed to be at that point, and with Manolo Gabbiadini, Charlie Austin, Shane Long and Sam Gallagher as striking competition at Saints, his game time would have been limited again next season at St Mary’s.

It’s sad that a time with such promise ends on a disappointing note, but at least Saints and Rodriguez will always have the memories and the chance to progress on their own.