Eiran Cashin reacts in four words to Tom Barkhuizen's emotional Derby County exit message | OneFootball

Tom Barkhuizen is leaving Derby County after three years, and a former team-mate had a four-word message for him when he confirmed it on Instagram.

Derby County midfielder Tom Barkhuizen is leaving the club at the end of this season, and his emotional departing message on Instagram was met with a four-word reply from former team-mate Eiran Cashin.

Cashin was already at Pride Park when Barkhuizen joined Derby in 2022 from Preston North End. He left for Brighton & Hove Albion in the January 2025 transfer window for a reported £9m, and has since made one Premier League appearance for them.

Barkhuizen, meanwhile, is now looking for a new club after confirmation that he's to be released by the Championship club at the end of his three-year contract.

Derby County confirmed his departure with the release of their retained list this week. He joins Sonny Bradley, Tyrese Fornah, Conor Washington, Rohan Luthra, Jeff Hendrick, Erik Pieters and Kemar Roofe on his way out of the club, while Craig Forsyth and Liam Thompson are to be offered new terms and defender Kane Wilson has had an option to extend his contract activated.

Eiran Cashin reacts to Tom Barkhuizen's Derby County farewell message

Barkhuizen had an emotional departure message for Derby fans on Instagram, as confirmation came through that his contract was not to be extended.

The winger wrote: "After three years, it’s time to say thank you to everyone at Derby County — teammates, staff, and the fans who made this club feel like home.

"Grateful for all the memories including my first career promotion. Honoured to have been a part of the club. Wishing the club nothing but success moving forward. #rams 🐏"

And nestled among the well-wishes in the replies was one from former teammate Cashin, which read simply, "All the best brother❤️🙌".

It was a salutary reminder that while the paths of professional footballers will always cross throughout their careers, their eventual destinations often don't end up looking very similar.

While Cashin is looking forward to a summer on the south coast, seeking to prove himself ready for a bigger role in the Premier League next season, Barkhuizen is now looking for a new club.

Tom Barkhuizen had a disappointing 2024/25 season for Derby County

Barkhuizen had a disappointing season at Pride Park as the Rams fought to avoid relegation back to League One following promotion as runners-up behind champions Portsmouth.

In October, the Derby Telegraph reported on the 'winners and losers' from their first nine games of the season. Barkhuizen was listed as one of their 'losers', with their Derby County writer Leigh Curtis commenting that: "In the last year of his contract and needs a big season if he has any hope of extending his stay at Pride Park beyond this season. Has got the ability, but it's all down to him now."

Barkhuizen made just 19 appearances for the club throughout the 2024/25 season, only half the number that he'd made the previous season as Derby won promotion back to the Championship after two years away.

Curtis's assessment of him turned out to be correct. The end of the season has now come about, and he was unable to earn an extension on his expiring three-year contract.