CLAUDE Puel has drafted in his trusted foot soldier Jeremy Pied to provide competition for Cedric Soares at right back.

The 27-year-old defender is a familiar face to Puel, having been given his first team debut at Lyon in 2010 under the St Mary’s chief, before following him to Nice in 2012 where he became a reliable option on the right side of defence.

Pied will now work for a third time with Puel after Saints came to an agreement to take the out-of-contract man on at St Mary’s, with the intention of him competing with Euro 2016 winner Cedric for a starting role.

The Frenchman’s arrival at Saints won’t be surrounded by much excitement – and will unlikely have the St Mary’s faithful drooling in anticipation – but in Puel’s mind he will serve a function, and is a signing that makes a lot of sense in practical terms.

The new Saints manager has indicated in pre-season that he intends to use his full backs as attacking outlets, demanding them to pound the flanks to provide crosses and press high.

Pied is highly accustomed to Puel’s demands having worked with him for the majority of his career – and could also help other players understand what Ronald Koeman’s replacement expects of his teams.

Not only that but Pied, who has one cap for France Under-21s, is highly versatile and can operate on either side of defence or even as a wide midfielder when required. His game is built upon grafting up and down the wings, with crossing and dribbling considered among his attributes by football statistics website WhoScored.com as well as a willingness to get back and attend to defensive duties.

Pied, who spent 2014/15 on loan at Guingamp, may well act a back-up, but looks to have enough experience to be considered a worthy rival to Cedric – although has only played in France’s Ligue Un top flight.

Cuco Martina fulfilled that role during last season, with Cedric struggling to fully nail down a starting place, but Pied’s arrival could ultimately lead to the Curacao international’s St Mary’s exit.

Saints had made an approach earlier in the summer for Pied, with the club and the player’s intermediaries failing to come to an agreement over a contract.

However, with the two parties now striking a deal, Pied becomes the first hallmarked Puel signing, with fellow new boys Nathan Redmond and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg both brought in via the recruitment department at St Mary’s.