WHEN ZACH ELBOUZEDI talks about Stephen Kenny’s decency as a manager he does so having benefited from it directly.

In 2019 he was a Waterford player emerging in the League of Ireland.

A call-up to the Republic of Ireland squad that year followed and he quickly became a regular.

Kenny was in charge as part of the FAI’s succession plan for the senior job.

At the back end of the year injury then stalled Elbouzedi’s momentum, but Kenny still insisted on calling him up for a double header of U21 Euro qualifiers with Armenia and Sweden.

“Prior to the Armenia game he could see that I still was not back to my full sharpness and he just pulled me to one side and said that although I wasn’t going to be starting the first game, he still believed in me as a player and as a person,” Elbouzedi, now 26, said.

“That little detail to have the respect to speak to you, that meant a lot to me. A lot of managers don’t speak to you in that way. And to still let me know that he believed in me, that was great. Plus it was the right decision.

“I then played the next game against Sweden and I played very well in that game. The respect and belief he puts in you, I can feel that he really believes in you and wants you to do well. It is just the understanding and the respect he treats you with.”

Kenny and Elbouzedi have been reunited this week after the winger agreed to join his St Patrick’s Athletic revolution.

The club he departed was AIK Stockholm and the trajectory of the Dubliner’s career can be traced back to his impressive showing in that 4-1 win over the Swedes – six of Kenny’s starting XI would also become regular senior internationals.

The Swedish assistant boss was Bartosz Grzelak and when he took over at AIK, Elbouzedi arrived in the summer of 2021.

The first 18 months saw him “thrive” before injury and a succession of managerial changes – six in total – saw him fall down the pecking order.

“When that happens it’s natural that your confidence is going to take a little bit of a dip. I just want to play games and play regularly. Some of my best football was under Stephen so there’s no one better to do that with.

“Up until the last day that I was there I was always working hard and still trying to get back in, but there comes a point when you know that you’re not going to get back in.

“We got a new manager then we got a new manager and then we got another new manager. We got a new sporting director and he wanted to go a different way. You have to be realistic. I loved my time at AIK and I had a good life there, ye know. My girlfriend was there but I needed to take this move to try to rekindle my career and progress my career in the way that I think I can.”

Kenny’s direct approach convincing Elbouzedi to return home proved crucial.

“The main thing is, I’ve gone to clubs before where it’s not the manager who personally wants you. It’s like a sporting director or a head of football and then you get there and you can sort of feel like the manager doesn’t like you.

“My best spells at clubs have been when the manager recruited me. Stephen was one of them who was straight on the phone to me and I know he’s signed a long-term contract.

“He believes in me and that’s the main thing. I can make mistakes, I can express myself. That’s when I’m at my best, when I’m playing off instinct and not thinking about the game too much. That’s what Stephen will allow me to do.”

Pat’s are hopeful international clearance will come through in time for Elbouzedi to make his debut in the FAI Cup clash with Derry City today (kick-off: 6pm).

The cup is the Saints’ only hope of silverware this season and it’s also a trophy they are defending after lifting last November in front of a record crowd of

“I think there are more full-time clubs than when I was there, so a much more professional set-up. A couple of teams have done well in Europe, obviously [Shamrock] Rovers made the [Europa Conference League] group stage so that brings the profile of the league up.

“Virgin Media are showing more games, so it’s more accessible to watch so that makes the league look more professional when more games are on TV. When I was in the league, RTE were only showing a few games a season.

“It wasn’t that accessible for people to watch. Like I was in Sweden and I could still keep an eye on the league. It also looks like there are more players in their prime playing in the league now, so yeah I think the standard of the league has gone up a lot since I was here. I think it’s a good place to play football.”