Kelvin steps into spotlight

SOUTHAMPTON legend Kelvin Davis has emerged as a key figure in the club’s restructuring plans, raising further doubts over the future of manager Mark Hughes.

Chairman Ralph Krueger wants the club’s former keeper to have a greater input into first-team affairs.

Davis (right), who played 301 games for the south coast side, is likely to be made caretakerboss if Hughes is sacked.

The former Sunderland and Ipswich keeper was visibly more active on the touchline during Saturday’s 3-2 defeat at Fulham.

Davis has been at Saints since 2006 and has been assistant first-team coach since December 2017 after the departure of Eric Black.

The 42-year-old is a popular figure around the club’s New Forest training ground and is also close to Krueger and scouting chief Ross Wilson.

Hughes will be in charge for tonight’s rearranged Carabao Cup clash with Leicester but patience is wearing thin after a dismal run of nine games without a win.

Leicester boss Claude Puel (right) says his side want to win the competition in memory of late chairman

Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha.

Puel says the Foxes owner made cup success a priority at the start of the season.

And the Frenchman says his side can honour the Thai businessman, who was killed in a helicopter crash outside the King Power Stadium KEY MAN: Southampton assistant coach Davis last month, by lifting a trophy.

“It’s important to play all these games with the right desire and good aggression and mentality,” said Puel.

“It will be a good opportunity for the squad to perform together and to win something. “We know the importance of winning something. The cup will be important for us. “The chairman liked it a lot and it will be our desire to try to perform. “Before this we had a good togetherness but, of course, after an event like this we have more focus and more concentration on the objective.

“The most important thing is to play together, to perform and to pay tribute to our chairman at the end.”