SAINTS are on course for their most jam-packed Premier League era season EVER, which Claude Puel believes is an important learning curve for the club.

The most games Saints have ever played in one single campaign in Premier League times was in the 1995/96 season, when Dave Merrington’s side played 48 matches.

But even if Saints drop out of the FA Cup and League Cup in their upcoming ties, Puel’s men will finish the season having played 51 matches.

If they continue to progress in the domestic knockout competitions, they will be approaching the busiest campaign on record, which came when Ian Branfoot’s Saints played 61 games in 1991/92.

That was 42 First Division games, seven FA Cup ties – including three replays – six League Cup ties (including two replays) and six ZDS Systems Cup ties (Saints reached the Wembley final, losing to Nottingham Forest).

Saints will play at least 51 games this season – 38 in the league, six in Europe, five in the League Cup and two in the FA Cup.

Such a volume of games is nothing new to Puel, but accepts the players are learning as they go.

“For me no, for the players, yes [it’s the busiest they’ve experienced],” said Puel. “It’s the first time Southampton have played all these games, with all this competition.

“It’s important to learn, but for me no because I trained many games in the Europa League and Champions League.

“For example with Lille we played 64 official games in the season. We finished second in the table and I qualified for the Champions League and we lost against Sevilla in quarter-final of the Europa League and this time Sevilla won the cup.

“It’s important to have the ability to play all these games and then to recover. It’s important after a loss without thinking it’s a catastrophe.

“After a win for example against Liverpool, okay, it’s finished and now we need have the capacity to think another thing and not just staying about this game.

“Playing so many games is not just physical work it’s always a good recovery with the head, without losing energy outside the games.”

Last season Saints played 46 games, one more than in Ronald Koeman’s debut 2014/15 season, but have had to deal with the Europa League group stages, a long run in the League Cup as well as the usual Premier League matches this time around.

“It’s always a challenge for the players to stay ready because there’s rotation and the many games,” Puel said. “It’s important to keep in many way a good spirit and a good analysis.

“I think without bad things, all this is important. They learn with the capacity to play many games with good feet and especially with the good freshness and lucidity and good mentality.

“It’s new for these players, good experience. It’s the first time for many players to play all these games.”

In an immensely busy season, Virgil van Dijk has been one of a few mainstays in the Saints team.

The key central defender, and captain in Jose Fonte’s absence, has often been a saviour for Puel’s men, and the French boss is not worried about burning him out, despite all the game time.

“It’s a strong player. He can recover easier. It’s fantastic what he can do because he’s physical and is always fit,” he said.

“He’s a technical player and we are lucky to have this player with his quality and spirit. He’s a winner.

“He gives a good example for the team and young players. It’s a stability and this season he finds this regularly and every time, every game it’s a good performance.

“That’s interesting for us and for him. He improves as this season goes on.”