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Adrien Truffert is known for hitting the ground running. During his time at Rennes, which he entered as a teenager and spent ten years at before moving in the summer to the Premier League side, his introductory match saw him enter as a replacement against Monaco. The match culminated with him delivering a cross with a precise left-footed delivery and then scoring a late winner. At eighteen years old, Truffert slotted the ball underneath the opposition goalkeeper, who is set to play Bournemouth with his current club. “I dashed off in joy and dropped to my knees,” Truffert says, “as you imagine doing as a child after netting your debut goal.”

A Seamless Start in England's top flight

Truffert has excelled for Bournemouth right from the start, commencing with a brave team performance at Liverpool where he faced Mohamed Salah. In that match, he also performed better than his predecessor and has featured in all minutes in the Premier League this season.

“We know we lost,” he states of the Anfield trip, “meaning it wasn't ideal, but I think we played very well. It was exhilarating because it was my debut and it was a fantastic occasion. We have started positively, but now we need to continue and win this week.”

The Key to Adapting

Considering Truffert discuss his multi-million pound transfer, the initial move of his career, it is little surprise he has slotted in so seamlessly. Club staff refer to an bright character and he is obviously astute. He recognized the benefits of signing in June, to bed in during pre-season, and has invested the previous 24 months taking English classes, conscious how beneficial they would be if he achieved his ambition of reaching the Premier League.

“Hence I can speak a little English,” says the 23-year-old, a modest line given this initial big interview is conducted completely in English. “I think it is important to have interests beyond the game, to change your mindset and think about other things.” When suggested to him that this is very telling of his personality, he avoids taking credit. “Perhaps, but it was my parents who advised me it was significant.”

Family Roots

The defender's kin, including his junior sibling Florian, a midfielder at Stade Rennais, were present with him when he signed. It could have been meant to be. Not simply due to Bournemouth had landed a longstanding target but because Truffert had resided in the town as a very young child. He was a native of Liège, Belgium, but when he was half a year old, his family relocated to Southampton because of his dad's job as a laboratory director. They spent two years in the locality.

“My father says that I took my first steps on the beach in Bournemouth,” Truffert comments. “Following that period, we returned to Belgium for six months and then transferred to France.”

National Team Achievements

Truffert has been capped once by Les Bleus, in recently, and recently he was in the France team that finished second at the Olympics, the award earning him a French knighthood. “I have the certificate to show I have Chevalier d'honneur,” he says, exhibiting a proud smile. His fellow players included several prominent figures, some of whom he had previously teamed up with at Rennes. His head coach also was his hero.

“The French legend, one of the best French players,” Truffert says. “When I was a youth I played as a winger, so that’s why I looked up to him. When I was about seventeen or eighteen I switched to left-back. At the Olympics I played mainly at the back, so Gaël Clichy mainly spoke to me, but when it was a collective meeting he [Henry] imparted much knowledge. His football brain was amazing, you could detect his expertise and he was eager to share it to us.”

Style of Play

Truffert was identified as an suitable candidate for the manager's style, which is built on relentless pressure. “When you apply much more intensity than your adversary, I think it’s the most effective method to win,” Truffert explains. “You have to do other things, of course, but if you commence by securing more individual battles than your rival, you have a much better chance to win. We run a lot because each player aims to go forward, but each also desires to defend.

“For us it’s not only defenders who defend and forwards who attack. It’s the entire team. We like to do everything together on the pitch – and that’s the best way to win.”

Leadership and Experience

He served as skipper at his former club the previous campaign and at Bournemouth he demonstrates through action; he trains how he plays and is regarded as a coach's ideal. He is also very knowledgeable for his years with in excess of 200 first-team outings and has competed in the Champions League, UEL and Conference League. In a recent campaign, his old team won both matches over a star-studded Paris Saint-Germain side. The English division, he says, was the next logical step.

Truffert sounded out friends and former teammates, including a prominent winger. “I think he’s among the finest 1v1 players I’ve observed. Another global star was also tough to play against and you gain valuable experience against such talents because they can alter the outcome,” Truffert explains. “Now at Manchester City, he plays more on the left, but when he was at my old team he was often on the right so I had to face him a lot in training.

“It was good for me to improve. He told me the energy is very different to France's top division. In France, it is possibly more technical – here each match you have to work hard, with little respite.”

Life Off the Pitch

The free time Truffert has had since moving from a hotel to a home last month has let him investigate the area with his partner and their dog. “We like to {walk around the town|stroll through the area|expl