Jan Bednarek: One Manager's Trash Is Another Manager's Treasure

Jan Bednarek has been resurgent since the arrival of Ralph Hasenhüttl at Southampton. The 22-year-old Polish international has flourished over the Christmas period, establishing himself as not just a first choice defender, but a fan favourite too.

The Polish international was out of favour at the club under the previous regime, with Mark Hughes at the helm. In fact, Bednarek struggled to make a significant impact on the south coast since his arrival in the summer of 2017.

Starting his career at Lech Poznań, in the Ekstraklasa, Bednarek joined the club in his youth and progressed through the ranks before making his debut at just 17, against Piast Gliwice. The debutant helped his side to a 2-0 win, and impressed enough to become an integral part of the side for the season.

Impressing in his 31 appearances for the club, Bednarek was involved with the Poland U-21 side who hosted the U-21 European Championships in 2017. Unfortunately, he could not prevent his Poland side from finishing bottom of their group, which contained England, Slovakia and Sweden, with the Biało-czerwoni bottoming out after one draw and two losses.