Southampton: Hasenhuttl outlines steady progress he wants Saints to make

Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhuttl has outlined the steady progress that he wants his side to make after securing Premier League survival this season.

The Saints were in real trouble when the Austrian first joined the club back in December but he has led them to safety relatively comfortably.

Summer changes are expected to come in the first-team squad and the first-team coaching staff as he then builds to create a brighter future for the club overall.

At his pre-match press conference ahead of his side’s clash with Huddersfield Town, Hasenhuttl was asked about challenging for a top six/seven finish next season and said:

"“It’s something that was growing over years. It is not something you can manage in six or seven months. It is something that has to grow and we started in a good direction and made the first good step, and the foundation is built. To make the next step it’s very important to make the right decisions for next year.”"

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The positivity has returned to St Mary’s under the 51-year-old’s guidance in the five months that he has been in charge and the club looks to be back on track.

Fans are now enjoying the football that his side are producing every week and it could be a much more successful 2019/20 campaign with him at the helm.

After building a young and vibrant squad at RB Leipzig in the Bundesliga, Hasenhuttl led them to a second-laced finish in their first season in the German top-flight.

With promising players coming through from the academy at Saints and some good talent already at the club, could he lead his current club back to past triumphs.

Saints fans have enjoyed some superb football provided teams managed by Nigel Adkins, Mauricio Pochettino and Ronald Koeman in the last eight years.

However, spells under Claude Puel, Mauricio Pellegrino and Mark Hughes saw struggles as supporters became frustrated with styles of play and results overall.

Big changes are to come in the boardroom at St Mary’s too this summer as replacements for Ralph Krueger and Les Reed are searched for.

A shift in structure is expected and this could mean the appointment of a Director of Football, and fans will be hoping that these changes only improve the chances of Hasenhuttl being a success at the club into the long-term future.