Having previously played all his football in his native Poland, central defender Jan Bednarek was only 21 when he signed for Southampton. They had just dismissed manager Claude Puel and were about to appoint Mauricio Pellegrino as his successor. Although he made his debut soon after his arrival in a League Cup-tie, it wasn’t until the following April that he made his bow in the Premier League, and he marked the occasion by scoring one of Saints’ goals as they lost 3-2 to Chelsea. By then Pellegrino had been replaced by Mark Hughes and Jan was to get used to an ever revolving managerial door over his eventful eight years at St Mary’s.

He had won his first international cap a month after joining the club, and by the time he departed he had 72 caps to his name. By and large, he was an accomplished and stylish defender who relied more on deftness than ruggedness, but he was no shrinking violet. A good relationship with the fans was only marred when he made some rash comments, after moving to Villa Park on loan. With his bridges partly burned, he then endured a miserable time in Birmingham and returned to St Mary’s earlier than planned, chastened but wiser. His integration back into the side was smooth and, if anything, he appeared to be a better player, as the club went through a tempestuous three year period, when they were relegated twice and promoted once. When Saints lost their Premier League place for the second time it was time for him to make a permanent move away, and he ended up in Portugal, playing Champions League football with Porto.