MORGAN Schneiderlin is attempting to become the second Saints midfielder in six years to win a prestigious international youth tournament in the south of France.

The 20-year-old netted for France in Tuesday’s opening Toulon Under-20 Tournament victory over Columbia.

In an instant, he equalled the amount of goals he has scored in 81 league and cup outings since signing for Saints for £1.2m in the summer of 2008.

Schneiderlin’s only goal for Saints came in last month’s 5-1 romp at Bristol Rovers.

A few days later his season came to a premature end when he picked up his second red card of the campaign for violent conduct at Yeovil.

Schneiderlin was handed a four-match suspension, ruling him out of the remainder of Saints’ League One games.

The player is hoping to follow in the footsteps of former Saint Yoann Folly, who won the tournament with France in both 2004 and 2005.

Schneiderlin, who has won three French under-21 caps, is in action again tonight as France take on Japan, and they complete their group games on Saturday against the Ivory Coast who beat Japan 3-0 in their opening game.

The top two teams qualify from the two fourteam groups with the semi finals and final next week.

The tournament is held every year in southern France with the host country joining seven other invited nations from all over the world.

Schneiderlin, the only non Frenchbased player in his country’s squad, will also be hoping his career doesn’t go backwards in the way Folly’s has done.

The midfielder made a superb impact when Paul Sturrock handed him his Premiership debut against Tottenham at St Mary’s as a 20-yearold in 2004.

But he was recently released by Plymouth following the Devon club’s relegation to the Championship.

Sturrock had taken him to Sheffield Wednesday from Saints in the summer of 2006 and also signed him for Plymouth two years later.

Folly, signed by Gordon Strachan for around £250,000 from St Etienne in 2003, spent part of last season on loan to League Two club Dagenham & Redbridge.