NEVER did I think I would use the words ‘Pelle Clement’ and ‘best player on the park’ in the same sentence.

And, at the risk of this being my only opportunity (although I sincerely hope it is not), I’ve grasped the opportunity.

The 22-year-old looked like a different player compared to last season when he lined up to face Rubin Kazan in Austria last Friday.

He started intensely with a well-timed tackle within the opening seconds and went from strength to strength thereon in.

Clement had a difficult start to life since his switch from Ajax, which is understandable as he left his home comforts at a relatively young age.

As far as I know, Clement left his family and friends behind to begin a new life in Berkshire under Jaap Stam.

Following Stam’s dismissal, Clement was quick to voice his frustration with an expletive post on social media.

But as I saw on Friday, it appears new boss and namesake Paul Clement has found something in young Pelle which his predecessor failed to bring out.

Everything seemed to go by him last season and at times it appeared the Championship was just too much for him to handle at times.

I have seen Clement play left wing-back, right wing-back, left midfield, right midfield, striker, false 9 and just about every position going.

But he looked far more at home playing in a midfield two. Partnered by Andy Rinomhota (who has also impressed me in pre-season), Clement looked comfortable on the ball, showed a range of passing and his all-round game looked promising.

He even made a couple of interceptions, something else we did not see last season.

It did not go unnoticed either, with fans quickly heaping praise on the 21-year-old.

Of course, there is always that risk that it was only one performance, but I hope Clement builds on what we saw against Rubin Kazan last week, starting with the Crystal Palace game on Saturday.

If he gets another nod and puts in the same calibre of performance he did against Rubin, he might just do enough to convince his manager not to overlook him at the start of the season.

It may have taken a year for him to flourish, but If Clement can knuckle down, grab himself a couple of goals and keep his fellow midfielders on their toes then Reading could have a very promising asset on their hands.