It would be virtually impossible to be anything other than utterly blown away by Saints’ new state of the art training ground.

It is a manifestation of everything the club stands for.

It is fitting therefore that the main building bears the name of Markus Liebherr.

This was his vision, his dream for the club, and it was his passion, drive and money that made it possible.

Ultimately, Markus wanted Saints to be a sustainable club, not relying on him or his family to dip into their pockets all the time for the latest new player or to pay off a failing manager.

He wanted the club to run as a business, to stand on its own two feet, to embody passion and commitment but also a reverence towards history and tradition and to serve the community by which is so beloved.

What has been built is a testament to exactly that.

Strip away some of the minimalist design features, a legacy of the boutique direction the club misguidedly took for a few years, and you have the essence of Saints.

You have somewhere where young players enter at one end of the training ground and as they develop move gradually further up, aspiring all the time to take the next step until eventually they hit the heights of the first team facilities.

All the time those players, what they have, what they do and achieve, is within sight, but just out of reach.

It keeps everybody below them pushing and striving for better.

The sports science department is a marvel where every little detail is thought out, the recruitment and analysis department, arguably the most impressive aspect of the Markus Liebherr Pavilion, is cutting edge in its thinking, the Black Box and its staffing costing only a fraction of what one bad signing would drain from the coffers. Even the washing machines are state of the art.

But what strikes you most is the people you encounter around the club.

These are not the manager, first team coaches or players, but the every day staff who are at the core of this football club.

Their knowledge, passion and drive is infectious.

They have been empowered to be the best they can be and to push the boundaries of what is possible, and what Southampton can achieve.

They do not see Southampton in the same way the outside world has viewed the club for so long, and that lifts limits and opens up endless possibilities.

This training ground embodies a new way forward for Saints, which embraces the culture and history of the club and blends with it the latest in thinking.

It is everything you could want, and something very special indeed.

How fitting it carries the name of Markus Liebherr.

Ralph Krueger may have speculated that Markus would not have liked a building named after him but this piece of land in Marchwood feels like an extension of all his hopes and dreams for Saints. The name could not be more fitting.