Rennes became the fifth Ligue 1 club to change head coach when they put Sabri Lamouchi on gardening leave on December 3.

The impact has been instantaneous, with interim boss Julien Stephan acing the audition to such an extent that he has been handed an 18-month opportunity to shine at the helm of the Roazhon Park side only nine days after stepping into the job.

Stephan may be a rookie in terms of his first-team experience, but the 38-year-old, whose father Guy is assistant to Didier Deschamps with France, is of such note that Monaco boss Thierry Henry wanted him as his No.2 with the principality club. Rennes, however, did not allow their reserve team boss since 2015 to depart Brittany.

A defensive midfielder during his playing days, which were spent with the B teams of Bordeaux and Paris Saint-Germain, then subsequently in France’s lower leagues, he has overseen 2-0 victories over Dijon and Lyon in his only two matches in charge.

Rennes’ play, though, has enjoyed a startling turnaround, largely thanks to Stephan’s willingness to liberate Hatem Ben Arfa.

The club’s most intriguing signing of the summer, Ben Arfa never truly earned the confidence of Lamouchi. After a year frozen out of the game by PSG, the ex-Newcastle, Lyon and Marseille forward was always likely to need a little time – and crucially a little love – to rediscover his best level.

“We have to build the team around him and tell him that he is indispensable,” Claude Puel, who got the best out of the player in Nice, once explained.

The mercurial 31-year-old clearly did not feel important during Lamouchi’s latter days, often cast to the bench and even entirely dropped from the squad at points.

Although he netted in his last appearance under Lamouchi in a 2-2 draw with Montpellier, the numbers are otherwise quite startling to emphasise his change in importance to the side. During that game, he touched the ball only 25 times – fewer than goalkeeper Thomas Koubek.

Fast forward a couple of weeks, and in the clash against Dijon, he was involved on 77 occasions – more than any of his team-mates. It was a performance capped with a stoppage-time goal, which provided his side with welcome insurance to see out the victory after Benjamin Bourigeaud, another much-improved specimen, had opened the scoring with a deflected shot. Of course, it was Ben Arfa’s enterprising break down the left that was the catalyst.

Days earlier, he had provided a similar virtuoso performance – and an even better goal – as Stephan’s side began with a shock win over Lyon, who had gone unbeaten in nine previous games, including one against Manchester City.

Rennes’ approach has changed under the new coach, who has placed more of a premium on the attacking side of the game, which will be of benefit to the dynamic forward, who revels in the freedom to take risks and thrives upon the spotlight.

“All talented players who can win games interest me, and Hatem is one of those players,” Stephan explained. “He’s played two very good matches and contributed to the results with his goals, we hope it lasts. But it’s primarily through the team that players earn results, and through them some individuals, like Hatem, can emerge.”

This is the framework through which Ben Arfa prospered in Nice by scoring 17 Ligue 1 goals and chipping in with six assists during the 2015-16 season, and the early signs are that it will allow him to shine in Rennes, too.

Harnessed properly, he remains one of the most potent attacking threats in Ligue 1, though the balance needs to be just right for him to succeed. It’s early days yet, but Stephan seems to have hit upon that equilibrium already.

Favorite