Plymouth Argyle got the better of Sheffield United transfer: View | OneFootball

Lilian Nalis would go on to become an Argyle great after arriving from Bramall Lane in January 2006

With his flowing locks and all-action attitude as he patrolled the middle of the park, Lilian Nalis was always destined to become a Home Park hero.

The Frenchman walked straight into the Plymouth Argyle side the second he signed on the dotted line in January 2006, and rarely missed a game for the Greens across the next two and a half years that followed.

Having already made a name for himself in his native France, the midfielder made his initial bow in England with Leicester City, before moving to Sheffield United, where things didn’t work out.

But the move to Devon proved to be a success for everyone involved, with the Pilgrims seeing the glowing embers of a sparkling career that was reaching its crescendo.

Lilian Nalis fails in Sheffield United move after Leicester City departure

With a career that had taken in the likes of Le Havre and Bastia in his homeland, before a stint in Italy with Chievo, Nalis’ first taste of English football came with the Foxes, as he made the move to the Premier League at the age of 31.

Fans of a certain age can probably still remember his standout moment to this day, with a left-footed volley against Leeds United the moment that announced himself to his new fanbase, and a strike still spoken about to this day.

But after two years in the Midlands, Neil Warnock tempted the Frenchman to move to the Steel City, although after just five appearances for the Blades he was promptly shipped out to Coventry City on loan.

With United already regretting their decision to bring the midfielder to the club, Argyle stepped in months later to take the player off their hands, in what proved to be the start of a cosmopolitan romance.

Lilian Nalis excels in Plymouth Argyle stint

Right from the off, Nalis offered another level of class in the Greens’ midfield, as he joined club legend Paul Wotton in marauding around the centre circle, dictating play as he chose.

As soon as he stepped foot on to the Home Park pitch, Argyle had a metronome, a player who could single-handedly decide the tempo of the game, with his range of passing and speed of thought propelling the Pilgrims new heights.

Just a month into his new adventure, Warnock and his United side came to town, and with some old scores to settle, Nalis put in a man of the match display to thwart his old employers, with both sides playing out a 0-0 draw, much to the chagrin of the man in the visiting dugout.

After reportedly agreeing a deal in which Nalis was to be left out for the visit of the Blades, Warnock said: "I was disappointed Nalis played, but I suppose that's a lesson for me to learn.

“I went out of my way, financially, to help Lilian Nalis move to Plymouth. I love [Argyle] but today I'm not very happy with it."

But one man that was more than happy to see Nalis pull on the green shirt week after week was Tony Pulis, with the elegance of the Frenchman helping the former Stoke City boss execute his game plan to perfection against sides who came to Home Park thinking they would roll the Pilgrims over.

Take a pass, pick a pass; Nalis continued to keep play ticking over, threading the eye of a needle, all without a hair out of place.

His penchant for scoring against former clubs would continue, with Leicester City getting a taste of their own medicine with a well taken goal back at the King Power Stadium in 2006, as the midfielder continued to defy his years with his eye-catching displays.

With the likes of David Norris or Akos Buzsacky alongside him to do his running, Nalis was given the opportunity to do what he did best, and leave the hard yards to those that could afford to put them in.

It was a relationship that continued to blossom, with a Player of the Season award at the end of the 06/07 campaign proving just how well-thought of he was by everyone at the club, as the Greens continued to thrive in the second tier.

Those were the halcyon days, with back-to-back top half Championship finishes making the Football League stand up and take notice of the club from Devon, who had a cool, creative Frenchman at its crux.