Southampton Academy graduate Yan Valery has enjoyed a very good breakthrough season in the Premier League campaign of 2018/29.
The 20-year-old youngster made his full senior debut (after appearances in prior seasons for our Under 23 group in the EFL Trophy) against Leicester City in the EFL Cup back in November and he simply didn’t look back, seriously impressing under then new manager Ralph Hasenhuttl, after former gaffer Mark Hughes gave him his Premier League debut against Manchester United.
With Cedric Soares struggling and falling out of favour, Valery eventually made the position on the right hand side his own and ended the campaign in good form and scored a couple of belters along the way.
Speaking to the Daily Echo this week, former Skipper Jason Dodd heaped praise on the youngster for the way he adjusted to senior football and he stated that he has everything necessary to become the perfect fullback given modern day expectations.
“He’s quick and explosive – not like I ever was! He reminds me of Kyle Walker and the best full-backs in the Premier League, who are now are more offensive. They’re good at going forward and bombing on – and he’s got that in abundance. He’s a got a great shot on him and is quick. He’s performing really well and deserves the plaudits he’s getting.”
Adding.
“He’s got all the credentials you need. And as he gets more games under his belt he’ll become more savvy and realise that while getting forward is wonderful he’s got to prioritise the defensive side of his game. He’s raw so he’ll make mistakes, but that’s normal for a young lad. He’s got all the attributes to be a good player as we’ve seen during the season.”
Plenty of development for the lad left to do, but he’s already seriously begun winning over some in the fanbase and long may that continue as we look to move back up the table after some disappointing years.
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