Brought in on a free from Nice after his contract with the French club ran out, Claude Puel’s trusted right-back Jeremy Pied unfortunately got injured a couple of weeks into the season.
Suffering a knee injury in training, the new Southampton signing had to have an operation, which has kept him out of action since, and will continue to do so in the near future.
With two of his former sides (Guingamp and Nice) meeting in Ligue 1 at the weekend, the French midfielder/defender was contacted by local newspaper L’Echo de l’Argoat for a couple of questions about the game.
Explaining that due to his commitments to Southampton (who face Arsenal in the EFL Cup on Wednesday evening), the player wouldn’t be able to watch the game between his two beloved clubs, the 27-year-old also gave an update on his current injury status.
He said: “I’m doing [the physio work] with a smile. The first three months have gone by, the hardest bit is done. I feel better and better, I don’t have anymore pains. I just cannot wait to get back on the pitch.”
In competition with Saints favourite Cédric Soares at the right-back position, it might take some time before Pied gets back on a football pitch, but if Southampton beat Arsenal in the EFL Cup on Wednesday, he might have an opportunity in the near future to prove his injury hasn’t affected him permanently.
First, though, he needs to get back to full fitness. At least he’s doing it with a smile.
