SAINTS forward Kamaldeen Sulemana has backed former boss Russell Martin to have a "great career" despite his struggles under him.
Dynamic Kamaldeen admitted he is not "the ultimate player" for the possession-obsessed manager as he lifted the lid on their relationship.
The 23 year old started just one Premier League match under Martin and was hauled off after just 15 minutes of the 5-0 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur.
That was one of only two league starts in 2024 altogether, as club-record signing Kamaldeen struggled to adjust to Martin's tactical demands.
However, he told the Daily Echo: "I respect Russell so much, I learnt a lot from him and I think he's going to do great in his career in the way he's playing.
"Maybe I'm not his ultimate style of playing that he wants to play, and that's fair - and you could tell that's why I wasn't playing, I think.
"I don't think it was anything to do with attitude-wise, it was nothing to do with training-wise, it was nothing to do with anything character-wise.
"I think it was more his tactics, it was more who he felt was going to help him. Whether he believed in me or not, that's for him to come out and say.
"We have respect for each other, we had very good conversations when I wasn't playing and when I played, we have a big respect for each other.
"When we speak, I feel like he tells me what he has on his mind and I tell him what I have on my mind. We haven't always agreed on the same point."
Kamaldeen added: "He shaped my mentality because when I wasn't playing, I had to be a different kind of player, work 200 per cent, do more.
"I had to always try my best to do double in order to maybe get the chance to play, so I think he's made me the way stronger mentality-wise.
"It's not about mourning when things go wrong because obviously if I was mourning, I would have mourned for the whole season, that would be tiring.
"I just kept my head down and supported the team when I was on the bench. That's very unusual for a young player. When you're on the bench, you're sulking.
"You don't really want the team to do well so you can get a chance - but he got to a point where I want the team to do well, I felt part of the team.
"Even though I wasn't playing, I was supporting behind, training well for the players starting to play better and I think that's shaped my mentality."
Kamaldeen signed for Saints six months before Martin arrived, joining on a long-term deal from Stade Rennes to play under Nathan Jones.
However, Jones was sacked after just two matches with his new weapons - Kamaldeen and Paul Onuachu - and Ruben Selles replaced him.
Ghana international Kamaldeen was the subject of transfer interest in July 2023 but suffered a summer injury and no move materialised.
When he returned to fitness in September, he played in 13 consecutive Championship matches, starting nine before being sidelined again in December.
Kamaldeen said: "When I came here, I came in as a starter. I started a lot of games in the Premier League and came off the bench quickly a few times.
"Then we went down to the Championship, there was speculation about me leaving, it didn't happen and I thought okay, time to get the team back up.
"I thought I was going to be regular for the whole season, but it didn't happen. I thought I was fantastic in the first couple of games when I came back.
"I didn't score goals but I think I gave the team something in return in the 10 games I played straight until I went injured and things changed.
"I came back, and the team had played 25 games unbeaten and it was hard to get in the team. There was a couple of chances and it didn't pay off.
"I started a cup game in Liverpool away but didn't have a good game, and a lot of the last games I didn't play, so it was hard to maintain form.
"The hardest thing is knowing you might not play but having to put in your best and that's mentality I've learned from the past few years."
