JEREMY Pied admits it hasn't been easy for him at Saints - but is "100 per cent sure" he can give much more to Mauricio Pellegrino's side.

A horror cruciate ligament injury, which the right-back says he'll not forget for the "rest of my life", kept him out for the majority of his first season at St Mary's after signing for free in August 2016 from Nice.

On top of that, Claude Puel, the manager who brought him through Lyon's academy, later signed him for Nice and brought him to Saints in the first place, was sacked in June.

"It was the decision of Southampton Football Club, so I have to respect that," he said about the departure now Leicester City boss, Puel, who returns with the Foxes next Wednesday.

"I have a contract with Southampton and I have to respect that.

"It doesn’t matter what's in my head, for me when I have a shirt I give 100 per cent for the shirt.

"Of course, I signed with Claude Puel but if it’s another manager this is part of a professional footballer’s life.

"We have to respect and just give your maximum on the pitch."

With first choice right-back Cedric Soares out with a hamstring problem, Pied made his first Premier League appearance of the season at AFC Bournemouth last Sunday.

The Frenchman,who is in the last year of his contract at St Mary's, is adamant he is now ready and "100 per cent I can give more" to Saints.

"To be honest, it’s not been easy," he said about his lack of game time.

"We all want to play the maximum games possible, but you have to find the solution, you have to keep going or you just abandon it. My choice was to keep going, it’s really important for me.

"The manager sometimes speaks with you to explain, sometimes he congratulates you because you keep going.

"You don’t have the time you want on the pitch but it’s important to be ready for the team."

Having only played once for the first-team in a 2-0 defeat at Wolves in the League Cup prior to the 1-1 draw at the Vitality Stadium, the 28-year-old knew he had to be careful against the Cherries.

"It’s difficult physically because I was ready, motivated and 100 per cent against Bournemouth," he said. "But I have to be clever because if you run forward, come back, run forward, come back, after 25 or 30 minutes, with the Premier League intensity, your game is finished, so that’s why I was happy after this game.

"But, now, I’m sure I can give more. I’m sure, 100 per cent, I can give more. I will try to do more in the other games I have to play and I’m ready for that.

"In my head I was ready and now I have to find more rhythm in my legs.

"It’s not a complaint, we are human.

"At the training ground, it’s nice, I give my best to the training, but the training is not a Premier League game."

After making his top-flight debut against Watford in a 1-1 draw at St Mary's in August 2016, Pied was not seen on the pitch again until May, having suffered a horrific cruciate ligament injury in training at Staplewood.

"I cannot forget this injury for the rest of my life," he said. "I was angry when I had this injury. A lot of people told me ‘you will come back stronger’ and I was angry with this answer, because how can you come back stronger when you injure your knee like this?

"But in the end I think it was a good answer because, seriously, when you have this and you work day after day, when you come back, you feel stronger.

"I am happy with that and I touch wood I never have an injury like that again."