Kyle Walker-Peters will soon come up against former club Tottenham with the 2020/21 campaign just under two weeks away.
Jose Mourinho's men start the Premier League season with a home game against Everton before then travelling to St Mary's to take on Southampton one week later.
Walker-Peters made a name for himself on loan at Saints in the second part of last season and he looks set to be a certain starter in Ralph Hasenhuttl's team following his permanent move to the south coast.
While it was a tough decision for the player to cut ties with Spurs after so long at the club, the right-back, who believes his move has given him more confidence, has opened up on the factors that saw him depart and sign a long-term deal at Southampton.
“I am over the moon. At Tottenham I found it hard to get a run of games, and now I felt after lockdown I was given that opportunity from Ralph [Hasenhuttl]," he told talkSPORT.
“I was able to show the qualities I have and in a run of games you get confidence and fitness, which is important.
“So now, I am looking to kick on again. My spot in the team isn’t solidified and I need to keep performing and showing what I can do, and hopefully it will be a great season for us."
He added: “I think we showed after lockdown that we’ve taken a big step in improving as a team and that’s what really made it clear for me, that was the team for me.
“I was in the team for those games and I felt confident and the team showed we had come a long way."
With Hasenhuttl having a big influence on him so far after giving the right-back the necessary minutes on the pitch, Walker-Peters has hailed the Austrian following their short time together.
“Yeah, he has been great," explained the 23-year-old. “From the moment I got there, he made it clear for me what he wanted from his full-backs, what he wanted from his players and I think that is always good, because you have a clear idea."
