Southampton midfielder Mario Lemina believes working with Marcelo Bielsa made sure he was ready as a player when he moved to Juventus.
Lemina played under the current Leeds United head coach during his spell on the south coast of France at Marseille.
The midfielder broke into the Marseille side as a regular under Bielsa and the Argentine's work on developing him paid dividends when Juventus swooped in to land him in the summer of 2015.
Lemina admits he needed to be super concentrated when he played for Bielsa, but credits the Leeds boss for preparing him to cope at Juventus.
He told French magazine France Football: "Working with Bielsa, I needed to progress, because it is really hard, it takes a lot of concentration.
"It allowed me to be ready when I arrived at Juventus, where I had to focus on the defensive aspect [of the game], the tactics."
Lemina, who has interest from a host of clubs, is expected to move on from Southampton this summer, but the midfielder insists that he does not necessarily have to join a side in the Champions League.
"It would be a bonus", he said, when asked if playing in the Champions League would be important in a new club.
"If I have the opportunity to play this season, why not, but I am really trying to regain consistency, become an important player in a team with high goals.
"I need to play!
"That's really my priority.
"I want to show everyone what I can do."
Both Arsenal and Manchester United have been linked with Lemina, but neither can offer the former Marseille man Champions League football.
