When Jan-Paul Saeijs, a team-mate at De Graafschap, told Steve De Ridder that he had “had the time of his life at Southampton,” that “did a lot to persuade” Steve to come to St Mary’s. He had just won his club’s 2010-11 Player-of-the-Year award and,

with his blistering pace, was inevitably looked upon as a replacement for the recently departed Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.

That was going to be a hard act to follow, but any player who flies down the flanks is always likely to be popular, even if the end-product is often anti-climactic.

Thus it was that the fans took to De Ridder, with their fond chants of “Stee-e-e-e-ve”, even though Nigel Adkins, a manager not given to criticizing his players, was moved to express disappointment with his crossing. So Steve’s principal contribution, as the team roared through the Championship in 2011-12, was as an impact sub – most memorably so at promotion-rivals Reading, when he came off the bench to snatch a late equalizer with a thrilling solo run and finish.

It followed, though, that he might find it even more difficult to get a start in the Premier League, especially with the addition to the squad of Tadanari Lee and Emmanuel Mayuka. As it turned out, those two speedsters made only one Premiership start between them in 2012-13, but Steve was limited, even so, to four substitute appearances and played a derisory three times on loan at Championship Bolton.

So, with signs of competition emerging from the youth-ranks, too, it was hardly surprising when Steve was released at the end of July 2013 – to be instantly snapped up by Utrecht. After then tasting football in Denmark he returned to Belgium football.