Southampton new boy Ryan Bertrand has stated he is eagerly anticipating some dressing room camaraderie when he tracks down his team-mates.
Bertrand arrived on loan from Chelsea on Thursday and has been stalking the corridors at St Mary’s since, but is yet to actually meet any of his new colleagues.
“It’s been a nice gentle introduction to playing for Southampton,” Bertrand told FourFourTwo.
“It’s good to have a poke around the place without the distraction of bumping into other top-level footballers. And I’ve got so much space to put my stuff, pretty much all the lockers are empty.”
The 24-year-old had feared some kind of initiation ritual when he attended his first team meeting, but was instead surprised to find manager Ronald Koeman alone, surrounded by plastic chairs.
“It’s always a nervy time joining a new club, but the gaffer was very encouraging and put my mind at rest,” Bertrand explained.
“He kept saying that I was Southampton Football Club, which I thought was a lovely sentiment.
“It was a bit odd when he started drawing formations for one man on the board, though. Then he asked if I had any mates who liked football.”
Bertrand also expressed his delight that his favoured No.23 shirt was still available, along with the numbers 1-22, and all numbers beyond 23.
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