Many players want to be managers, coaches or failing that pundits after they finish playing, but Ryan Bertrand wants something different, he wants to be a Director Of Football.
Speaking to Sky Sports ahead of the Premier League re start this week, Bertand revealed that he has been using his time to study during lockdown as he started to plan where his future lies after his playing career is finished.
The left back who is about to complete 6 years at St Mary's and assuming that he is fit should celebrate 200 games in all competitions in next week's home game against Arsenal as well as his 31st Brthday in August had this to say about his ambitions laying in the boardroom and not the training ground or TV studio, an area where there have been very few black faces:
"It's an ambition of mine and the race thing hasn't played on my mind, I haven't thought of it like that,"
"But if there have been black people that have tried to get into a hierarchy of sports and felt resistance, I think it is important that it is spoken of and that's how you can create the gateway to producing more black executives within the game.
"We need to concentrate on making sure the openings are there. No one wants anything for free but at the same time we need to make sure the playing field is level and there isn't a subconscious bias or an element of racism that's preferring people when other people are more than capable of doing the job."
Bertrand has always had an interest in business with his Mother working for Morgan Stanley in the City and he on occasions would accompany her to work as a child, he tells Sky that he first started trading and buying and selling in shares when he was at his first club Gillingham, although he would have needed to do so with the help of his parents as he left the Gills on leaving School in 2005 to join Chelsea.
So although he sees his future in football he feels he would like to utilise his knowledge of the game with his nous in business when he ends his career on the pitch.
"It mixes a bit of business with my sport and they're both my passions," he says. "Having the responsibility to say 'yes, I chose these players, I chose them to perform well' and working with a manager and business owner to get the right consistency and the footballing model that's successful on the field, I would take a lot of pride in that."
He also tells Sky that things have been going well in training in the past few weeks and that he his pleased that Ralph Hasenhuttl has got a new contract.
"We've felt really good in training and the behind-closed-doors games. As a squad, we're in a very good place fitness-wise and mentally. We just want to get back to playing our sport."
"It's great for the club[Hasenhuttl new contract]. Great for the consistency of the football he's been trying to implement and hopefully we can go from strength to strength."
The next question though is one that Sky do not seem to have asked and that is where Bertrand's future lies next season, will he sign a new deal at St mary's or will he be moving elsewhere for one last swansong in his playing career.
Certainly with Saints penchant for rewarding loyal servants with a role within the club when they finish playing, this could be something in Bertrand's mind.
Whilst Saints have a director football just appointed, the returning Matt Crocker, perhaps considering his career progression at the club might be something that the club could offer Bertrand to persuade him to stay.
Having an assistant DOF with a foot in both camps, could be advantageous.