Daily Echo:

SOFIANE Boufal put in extra fitness sessions ahead of returning to Saints this summer - with the intention of boosting his chances of winning a starting place in Mauricio Pellegrino's side.

The Argentine's predecessor Claude Puel was a big admirer of the attacking midfielder and subsequently a record £16m deal was struck for Boufal, who arrived from Lille still recovering from a long-term injury last August.

Boufal has admitted previously that coming to St Mary's with the knee problem he'd picked up in France was not the ideal start to life in England.

The Moroccan had to wait until late October to make his debut and, although he demonstrated glimpses of his talent with goals against Sunderland and late Middlesbrough, the 23-year-old never really got going.

He made 30 appearances in all competitions, although only half of those were starts, and played 24 Premier League matches, with 12 of them from the bench.

Failing to shake off niggling injuries, which saw him withdraw from the African Cup of Nations in January, and frustrating performances - mainly as a substitute - when he was available, left Saints fans wondering why the club shelled out so much for the enigmatic attacker.

Boufal himself conceded before the end of last season that it had been hard for him to settle and progression next season was paramount if he was to succeed at the club.

Having put in extra fitness sessions in an attempt to become Premier League-ready before heading back to St Mary's for pre-season, Boufal will be hoping to keep his head down, impress Mauricio Pellegrino and hope this all starts to pay dividends as he tries to lay claim to a Saints starting role, and win the affections of the supporters.

Having spent big bucks on Boufal, Saints are also keen to give the Paris-born man a chance to fully prove himself and at this stage are in no rush to head out to spend more on attacking options.

The club want avoid another potentially expensive flop, having seen previous record signings Gaston Ramirez, who signed for £12m from Bologna in 2012 and Dani Osvaldo, the fiery Italian who joined from Roma for £14.6m in 2013, fail.

Boufal faces stiff competition for a place, though with friendlies coming up against Brentford, Saint-Etienne, FC Augsburg and Sevilla, there is plenty of opportunity to persuade Pellegrino he's ready for a place in his team.

James Ward-Prowse has just returned to Staplewood following a break after representing England Under-21s at the European Championships, and he will be very keen to show Pellegrino that he deserves to keep the starting role Puel bestowed upon him last term.

Nathan Redmond will also returned soon from holiday in Dubai and will be confident to claim a starting berth alongside Dusan Tadic in the forward areas.

Pellegrino can also look to youngsters like Josh Sims and Jake Hesketh too, while Manolo Gabbiadini is another option in the attacking midfield department.