Am I still eligible for "new entrant" discount ?

Completed my MS degree in the UK and switched directly from a Student visa to a Skilled Worker visa in November 2023.

Current Skilled Worker visa expires in Jan 2026.

Based on the guidance on the UK Government website, a person can be classified as a “new entrant” for a maximum of 4 years. One of the conditions, however, is worrying me:

“If that Student permission has expired, it must have expired less than 2 years before the date of application.”

My original Student visa had an expiry date of Jan 2024 when it was issued. However, since I switched to a SWV in Nov 2023, my understanding was that the Student visa would be considered superseded and therefore no longer active. An immigration solicitor from a well-known firm, however, advised me that the official expiry date still counts as Jan 2024, even though I switched early.

My question is: Will I still qualify to be sponsored as a new entrant when I apply to extend my Skilled Worker visa in January next year for another 1.5 years or solicitor is mistaken ?