"I THOUGHT I'D BE A PREMIER LEAGUE CHAMP WHEN I JOINED UNITED, BUT IT DIDN'T TURN OUT THAT WAY"

The Frenchman on rising through the pyramid at Southampton, why Louis van Gaal stifled his game and playing at a legendary World Cup stadium

- Tom Williams

After starting at Strasbourg, you left in 2008 when they were relegated and ended up at Southampton. How did that move come about?

I'd been training with the professionals at Strasbourg since the age of 15 and was a little impatient. I'd played in the last two games of the season after we'd been relegated from Ligue 1. The coach, Jean-Marc Furlan, said he wasn't able to promise me that I'd be able to start every game in Ligue 2. But some of my friends from the France youth teams - Moussa Sissoko, Gabriel Obertan and David Ngog - were all playing regular football. That was when Southampton called. They were in the Championship at the time, but assured me I'd play games. It was the perfect match.

Prior to joining Southampton, is it true you said no to their biggest rivals?

Yes, Portsmouth were interested. It didn’t go very far, but there were a few stories in the papers and I think it helped me get off on the right foot with Saints fans.

Getting thrown into English football at 18 must have been a baptism of fire?

I'd been living with my family and then suddenly found myself on my own in an apartment in England, having to cook for myself and learn a new language. The football was a culture shock as well. I remember my first training sessions. In France it was all about technique and looking good on the ball. In England, there'd be tackles flying in everywhere! When Southampton were relegated to League One, I found myself playing at places like Dagenham & Redbridge in the middle of winter. You'd touch the ball twice with your feet and 36 times with your head. But I needed that to develop the aggression in my game. It taught me what real football was.

Southampton went up in back-to-back seasons, going from League One to the Premier League. What are your best memories from that period?