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Mario Lemina raves about Leeds United boss Marcelo Bielsa

Mario Lemina of Southampton celebrates scoring his side's first goal during the Premier League match between West Bromwich Albion and Southampton a...
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Southampton ace played under Leeds boss at Marseille.

Mario Lemina of Southampton celebrates scoring his side's first goal during the Premier League match between West Bromwich Albion and Southampton at The Hawthorns on February 3, 2018 in...

Southampton midfielder Mario Lemina has been talking up Leeds United manager Marcelo Bielsa.

Lemina played under Bielsa at Marseille, and said he was so distraught when the Argentine left that he decided to move on too.

The midfielder left to join Juventus in 2015 before joining Southampton two years later for a deal BBC Sport reported to be worth £18 million.

Bielsa took over at Leeds in the summer and has taken them to the top of the Championship table.

Leeds United's Marcelo Bielsa during the Sky Bet Championship match between Nottingham Forest and Leeds United  at City Ground on January 1, 2019 in Nottingham, England.

Quoted by French website So Foot, Lemina reflected on his two years at Marseille, one before Bielsa, and one under him.

The 25-year-old said: “The first year, with Elie Baup was complicated but the following with Marcelo Bielsa was magnificent.

“We found another OM, more spectacular. With the coach, I learned a lot. It’s really very interesting to work under his command.

“When he left, it was a shock to me and that’s what made me want to go.”

Juventus' midfielder from France Mario Lemina (C) vies for the ball with Barcelona's Brazilian forward Neymar during the International Champions Cup (ICC) match between Juventus FC and FC...

Lemina’s midfield performances under Bielsa were enough to land him a big move to Juventus.

This season he has made 18 appearances in the Premier League for Southampton.

Potentially he could come up against his old boss next season if Leeds win promotion.