SportValery signs fresh Southampton deal

© Getty Yan Valery equalised for Southampton at home to Tottenham on Saturday

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 Valery reveals early career guidance from Sadio Mane

Yan Valery has revealed he moved to England in 2015 because Southampton had the “best academy in the country” and Liverpool forward Sadio Mane was the player to give him guidance in exchange for cleaning his boots. The 20-year-old has been considered as one of Southampton’s brightest youth prospects for years now and has finally integrated himself in with the first-team under Ralph Hasenhuttl this season. Speaking in an exclusive interview with Sam Cunningham on i news, Valery explained why he came to England and how Mane offered guidance to help him settle in during his St. Mary’s days.

Proud day for me and my family today. Delighted to have signed a new long-term deal at this great club @SouthamptonFC . Looking forward to the up and coming years. Ready to express myself and show the fans what I can do ???????? pic.twitter.com/NuFERAKihW

— Yan Valery (@yan_valery) March 14, 2019

"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."

Yan Valery pens new Saints deal

Southampton defender Yan Valery has signed a new contract with the club until 2023, it has been confirmed. Twitter: #SaintsFC is delighted to announce @yan_valery has signed a new long-term contract with the clu… https://t.co/u9eNsIMjD2 (@SouthamptonFC) The Frenchman was handed his senior debut by Mark Hughes in the Saints’ Carabao Cup exit to Leicester City earlier on in the season. However, under Ralph Hasenhuttl, he has cemented his place in the starting line-up, with the manager placing his faith in the academy graduate as Cedric Soares departed for Inter Milan on loan.

It's only when you watch it back from this angle that you appreciate just how far out that @yan_valery goal against #MUFC was...???? #saintsfc pic.twitter.com/KnOurWeLmE

— Southampton FC (@SouthamptonFC) March 5, 2019

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."

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