SAINTS defender Cedric left his ego at the door when he returned for pre-season duty this summer.

The right-back was shipped out on loan to Inter Milan by Ralph Hasenhuttl back in January after being usurped by Yan Valery.

However, the Portuguese international has been like a new signing at Saints and has dislodged Valery in the starting XI.

Speaking to the Daily Echo, Hasenhuttl said: “I think I must say that Cedric has been given the chance to show up again here and it is a good example for getting a chance and grabbing it with both hands.

“He did a very good job. The moment you get the chance you have to be in the right spot.

“He came back in good shape and had a good pre-season where he was really working hard and waiting for his chance.

“I always want to give players a chance if they are training well, and he trained very well. He wanted to be in a duel and, at the moment, Yan is struggling a little bit, so he took the chance.”

Cedric was continually touted as one of the players who would be leaving in the summer, only for nothing to materialise.

He has already proved himself to be willing to play where Hasenhuttl wants him to, having already been deployed at left-back.

Although Saints are enjoying a rejuvenated Cedric, the club’s boss admitted it took a lot of one-to-one time to get his point across.

“I had a few long video meetings with him and there was a lot of discussion about what I wanted to see from him,” continued Hasenhuttl.

“When you are an experienced player, you have your habits, your automatism. If they don’t fit perfect to my game, then the normal message is that older players can’t change it in their career.

“This was exactly what I told him to do. I wanted him to show me he can change this automatism and habits that he has and show me that he is well adapted to my game.

“It’s not about looking at your ego, it’s about looking to the strength of the team and when he defends like this, he helps not only himself but also the team.

“He understands this now and is really trying to improve his game which is what I want to see. I was very critical of him but at the moment I am very happy with him.”

Although Cedric is the preferred option, for now, Hasenhuttl made it clear that not only is this a good learning curve for Valery, but also that he can force his way back into the starting XI.

He added: “It’s not done if you play one or two times in the Premier League because there is a long way to go.

“You have to have battles all the time. Teammates are looking for your position and you have to be better than them.

“He is behind Cedric, but you never know. When he shows up again, he is physically very strong and maybe he gets the chance. He must really push himself to the highest level.”