EXCLUSIVE: Former Rennes chief Silvestre believes Southampton's offer is Ugochukwu's golden opportunity

The midfielder has signed a season-long loan deal with Saints from Chelsea, and under the guidance of manager Russell Martin, he has been slowly integrated into the first-team squad.

Ugochukwu was originally signed by Chelsea from Rennes, where Silvestre both played and worked as sporting director in the past.

Speaking to Tribalfootball.com on behalf of BetMGM, Silvestre said: “I think it was a great move for him to go to Chelsea and an even better move for him to go out on loan to Southampton.

"He's 20 now, he needs to play football consistently, and I think he will get a lot of valuable Premier League minutes under his belt at Southampton.

“I know Southampton are struggling at the moment, but playing football is the only way to progress his career, and he will need to progress to play for Chelsea. He’s an interesting player – physically strong, good on the ball – and he wasn’t even playing every week for Rennes, so Southampton is his chance.

"Lesley will face top opponents every weekend, which is only going to be positive for his development.”