Yan Valery was a French-born full back who joined Saints as a 16-year old without speaking any English. The fact he was unfazed about being in a strange country so young augured well in terms of his temperament and it wasn’t a surprise to the coaches when he forced himself into Mark Hughes’s first team plans during the 2018-19 season with a string of strong performances. He even managed a couple of goals, one of which, at Old Trafford, was spectacularly hit from outside the area (see below).

But then things went awry, with only 10 starts in the Premier league the next season and just one the next. A severe bout of glandular fever, being part of the team that lost 9-0 to Leicester in October 2019 and then the signing of Kyle Walker-Peters became obstacles he struggled to overcome. He did start in the first Premier League game of the 2022-23 season but with just a year left on his contract it was decided it was best for both parties if he accepted a transfer back to his native France. Sheffield Wednesday’s Danny Rohl, Ralph Hassenhuttl’s assistant when he first came to St Mary’s, brought Jan back to English football in the close season of 2024.