Hojbjerg: Saints fans were right to ditch us in 9-0 embarrassment

SOUTHAMPTON captain Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg has told his team-mates Friday’s humiliating 9-0 home drubbing by Leicester has to be a watershed moment for the club.

Hojbjerg was forced to apologise to fans on behalf of a shell-shocked Saints dressing room after the worst home defeat in Premier League history, which left fans calling for manager Ralph Hasenhuttl to be sacked.

Hojbjerg said: ‘It’s a low point. You can put quotes up, you can say some things, but I can only say one word: sorry. I apologise big time to everybody that supports us. It is the most embarrassing moment of my career. I cannot talk. The only thing that matters now is actions, what we do going forward.’

Leicester were 5-0 up at half-time and after the break the game was played in front of a half-empty St Mary’s Stadium as the Saints faithful voted with their feet. Hojbjerg said: ‘I agree with the fans. They have every right to leave.’

Hasenhuttl has won just two of 10 Premier League games this term but has been assured his job is safe for now, with Saints facing a double-header away at Manchester City in the League Cup and Premier League this week. The Saints hierarchy have written off those Etihad trips but the Austrian faces a potentially defining clash at home to Everton on November 9.

Hojbjerg added: ‘I do not care who is coming up, we can never show our faces like this again. I’ll support the group and stand up in front of everyone but we can never, ever show our faces like this.’