No slacking warns Ralph

RALPH HASENHUTTL has warned his Southampton players he will not tolerate any easing off against Huddersfield today.

The Austrian picked up his first win as Saints manager with a thrilling 3-2 triumph against Arsenal last Sunday. But they have not won back-to-back games since April 2017.

Hasenhuttl, below, said: “You can be sure as long as I am manager that if I have the feeling that one guy makes one step less I will tell him and when I tell him he’ll immediately improve, for sure.

“We saw it was possible to win games in that manner, in that kind of playing football against Arsenal, but what you also see is that it’s only possible with 100 per cent passion and running.

“We invested a lot in that last game. The players were very tired afterwards but that’s the Premier League. You have to be tired

HUDDERSFIELD SOUTHAMPTON

Vafter a game. The main goal is that I see all the players learning.

“Huddersfield will be a completely different game and we want to show how far we are in our development and maybe we take a win. It’s a six-pointer.” Huddersfield defender Florent Hadergjonaj signed for Hasenhuttl in Germany and said: “He left just as I arrived but I know he likes to play offensive football. It is not easy to judge Southampton right now but those of us who played in Germany know more about him.” ❑ LES REED has been appointed as the Football Association’s new technical director.

He succeeds Dan Ashworth, who will take up a role with Brighton in the spring.