One of the first players from the former Soviet Union to make his mark in Britain, pacey winger Kanchelskis was one of the exciting star players of the early era of the Premier League. To say he failed to make such an impact at Southampton ten years later would be a grand understatement. Kanchelskis was one of just 13 players from outside Britain and Ireland to feature in the inaugural weekend of the Premier League and it was the success of players like him that would fill the new league competition with foreign stars in the long run. With Manchester United he won the first Premier League title and, in 1994-95, he would go on to be the club's top scorer and player of the season. After the inevitable falling out with Alex Ferguson resulted in Kanchelskis' departure from Old Trafford, he enjoyed successful spells at Everton and Rangers, being the only player to score in each of the Manchester, Merseyside and Glasgow derbies. After his contract with Rangers expired in 2002, however, Kanchelskis was signed for free by Southampton. He would not make a single start for Saints and made his one and only appearance coming off the bench. He was released the following February after being considered a worthless drain on the club's wage resources. Kanchelskis moved to Saudi Arabia to get his hefty wage demands filled by the wealthy Al-Hilal and shortly afterwards most people forgot that he had ever been considered a Saints player.
