Thursday 14 March 2019 18:01, UK
Yan Valery has signed a contract extension at Southampton, keeping him at the Premier League club until 2023.
The 20-year-old Frenchman, who can operate as a right-back or right midfielder, has become a regular starter under Ralph Hasenhuttl, making his top-flight debut under the Austrian against Manchester United in January.
Valery has gone on to feature in 16 Premier League games this season, scoring in his last two matches against United and Tottenham respectively, the latter of which sparked a late comeback which saw the Saints win 2-1 on Saturday.
"Yan's development has been fantastic in the last few months," Hasenhuttl said. "I think he is a player who embodies precisely the philosophy of Southampton, as he is young and forward-thinking.
"He has been given trust by us, and in return he has shown exactly what we want to see, which is a brave player who believes in himself and is willing to work on his deficits to get better.
"Already you can see Yan has improved defensively, and his goals against teams like Manchester United and Tottenham are big signs of how much his confidence has been growing."
Valery added that he is now focused on helping 16th-placed Southampton keep their place in the Premier League next season.
"It's a big step," he said. "It proves the club believe in me, and I am really proud and happy to sign again for this club. It is the club that gave me my chance.
"This manager has given me all of his trust, so I am just happy to sign again and I can't wait now to give everything I've got to help the club stay in the Premier League and to keep working hard and improve my game and be a better player than I am now."
