THE man who gave Jason Puncheon his big break in football believes the midfielder can “tear League One apart” for Saints.

Most fans will get their first chance to see the midfielder play this weekend when Walsall visit St Mary’s.

So far, Puncheon has been restricted to away games at Exeter, Norwich and Wycombe since signing from Plymouth at the end of last month.

But boss Alan Pardew has already hailed the player as a potential Saints hero.

Paul Fairclough was manager at Barnet when he plucked Puncheon out of obscurity from MK Dons in 2006.

“He’s got a left foot that’s tantamount to being a wand,” said Fairclough.

“Technically, he’s Premier League standard."

He added: “If he is managed in the right fashion and responds to that, you will have a fantastic player that will tear that league apart."